/IDobawk 


THE  WORKS 


OF 


JAMES  FENIMORE  COOPER 


THE    PATHFINDER 

OR 
THE    INLAND    SEA 


G.  P.  PUTNAM'S   SONS 

NEW   YORK.  LONDON 

87  WEST  TWKNTY-THIKD   STREET  24    BEDFORD    STKSET,    STRAND 

ftbe  fmichrrbochrr  |}rcss 


preface 

A\ 

as  connected  with  the  facts  of  the  different  books  of  the 
series.  They  are  not  material,  and  it  was  thought  fairer  to 
let  them  stand  as  proof  of  the  manner  in  which  the  books 
were  originally  written,  than  to  make  any  changes  in  the 
text. 

In  youth,  when  belonging  to  the  navy,  the  writer  of  this 
book  served  for  some  time  on  the  great  western  lakes.  He 
was,  indeed,  one  of  those  who  first  carried  the  cockade  of 
the  republic  on  those  inland  seas.  This  was  pretty  early 
in  the  present  century,  when  the  navigation  was  still  con- 
fined to  the  employment  of  a  few  ships  and  schooners. 
Since  that  day,  light  may  be  said  to  have  broken  into  the 
wilderness,  and  the  rays  of  the  sun  have  penetrated  to  tens 
of  thousands  of  beautiful  valleys  and  plains,  that  then  lay 
in  ' '  grateful  shade. ' '  Towns  have  been  built  along  the 
whole  of  the  extended  line  of  coasts,  and  the  traveller  now 
stops  at  many  a  place  of  ten  or  fifteen,  and  at  one  of  even 
fifty  thousand  inhabitants,  where  a  few  huts  then  marked 
the  natural  sites  of  future  marts.  In  a  word,  though  the 
scenes  of  this  book  are  believed  to  have  once  been  as 
nearly  accurate  as  is  required  by  the  laws  which  govern 
fiction,  they  are  so  no  longer.  Oswego  is  a  large  and  thriv- 
ing town  ;  Toronto  and  Kingston,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
lake,  compete  with  it ;  while  Buffalo,  Detroit,  Cleveland, 
Milwaukee,  and  Chicago,  on  the  upper  lakes,  to  say  nothing 
of  a  hundred  places  of  lesser  note,  are  fast  advancing  to 
the  level  of  commercial  places  of  great  local  importance. 
In  these  changes,  the  energy  of  youth  and  abundance  is 
quite  as  much  apparent  as  anything  else  ;  and  it  is  ardently 
to  be  hoped  that  the  fruits  of  the  gifts  of  a  most  bountiful 
Providence  may  not  be  mistaken  for  any  peculiar  qualities 
in  those  who  have  been  their  beneficiaries.  A  just  appre- 
ciation of  the  first  of  these  facts  will  render  us  grateful  and 
meek  ;  while  the  vainglorious,  who  are  so  apt  to  ascribe  all 
to  themselves,  will  be  certain  to  live  long  enough  to  ascer- 
tain the  magnitude  of  their  error.  That  great  results  are 
intended  to  be  produced  by  means  of  these  wonderful 
changes,  we  firmly  believe ;  but  that  they  will  prove  to  be 
the  precise  results  now  so  generally  anticipated,  in  consult- 


preface 


ing  the  experience  of  the  past,  and  taking  the  nature  of 
man  into  the  account,  the  reflecting  and  intelligent  may  be 
permitted  to  doubt. 

It  may  strike  the  novice  as  an  anachronism,  to  place  ves- 
sels on  Ontario  in  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
but,  in  this  particular,  facts  will  fully  bear  out  all  the 
license  of  the  fiction.  Although  the  precise  vessels  men- 
tioned in  these  pages  may  never  have  existed  on  that  water, 
or  anywhere  alse,  others  so  nearly  resembling  them  as  to 
form  a  sufficient  authority  for  their  introduction  into  a  work 
of  fiction,  are  known  to  have  navigated  that  inland  sea, 
even  at  a  period  much  earlier  than  the  one  just  mentioned. 
It  is  a  fact  not  generally  remembered,  however  well  known 
it  may  be,  that  there  are  isolated  spots  along  the  line  of 
the  great  lakes,  that  date,  as  settlements,  as  far  back  as 
many  of  the  oldest  American  towns,  and  which  were  the 
seats  of  a  species  of  civilization  long  before  the  greater 
portion  of  even  the  original  states  was  rescued  from  the 
wilderness. 

Ontario,  in  our  own  times,  has  been  the  scene  of  important 
naval  evolutions.  Fleets  have  manoeuvred  on  those  waters, 
which,  half  a  century  since,  were  desert  wastes ;  and  the 
day  is  not  distant,  when  the  whole  of  that  vast  range  of 
lakes  will  become  the  seat  of  empire,  and  fraught  with  all 
the  interests  of  human  society.  A  passing  glimpse,  even 
though  it  be  in  a  work  of  fiction,  of  what  that  vast  region 
so  lately  was,  may  help  to  make  up  the  sum  of  knowledge 
by  which  alone  a  just  appreciation  can  be  formed  of  the 
wonderful  means  by  which  Providence  is  clearing  the  way 
for  the  advancement  of  civilization  across  the  whole  Ameri- 
can continent. 


THE  PATHFINDER. 


CHAPTER  I. 

"  The  turf  shall  be  my  fragrant  shrine, 
My  temple,  Lord  !  that  arch  of  thine  ; 
My  censer's  breath  the  mountain  airs, 
And  silent  thoughts  my  only  prayers." 

MOORE. 

THE  sublimity  connected  with  vastness  is  familiar 
to  every  eye.  The  most  abstruse,  the  most  far- 
reaching,  perhaps  the  most  chastened  of  the 
poet's  thoughts,  crowd  on  the  imagination  as  he 
gazes  into  the  depths  of  the  illimitable  void.  The  expanse 
of  the  ocean  is  seldom  seen  by  the  novice  with  indifference  ; 
and  the  mind,  even  in  the  obscurity  of  night,  finds  a  par- 
allel to  that  grandeur  which  seems  inseparable  from  images 
that  the  senses  cannot  compass.  With  feelings  akin  to  this 
admiration  and  awe — the  offspring  of  sublimity — were  the 
different  characters  with  which  the  action  of  this  tale  must 
open,  gazing  on  the  scene  before  them.  Four  persons  in 
all, — two  of  each  sex, — they  had  managed  to  ascend  a  pile 
of  trees,  that  had  been  uptorn  by  a  tempest,  to  catch  a  view 
of  the  objects  that  surrounded  them.  It  is  still  the  prac- 
tice of  the  country  to  call  these  spots  wind-rows.  By  letting 
in  the  light  of  heaven  upon  the  dark  and  damp  recesses  of 
the  wood,  they  form  a  sort  of  oases  in  the  solemn  obscurity 
of  the  virgin  forests  of  America.  The  particular  wind-row 
of  which  we  are  writing  lay  on  the  brow  of  a  gentle  ac- 


2  Ube  patbfin&er 

clivity,  and  it  had  opened  the  way  for  an  extensive  view  to 
those  who  might  occupy  its  upper  margin,  a  rare  occurrence 
to  the  traveller  in  the  woods.  As  usual,  the  spot  was  small, 
but  owing  to  the  circumstances  of  its  lying  on  the  low  accliv- 
ity mentioned,  and  that  of  the  opening's  extending  down- 
wards, it  offered  more  than  common  advantages  to  the  eye. 
Philosophy  has  not  yet  determined  the  nature  of  the  power 
that  so  often  lays  desolate  spots  of*  this  description :  some 
ascribing  it  to  the  whirlwinds  that,  produce  water-spouts  on 
the  ocean  ;  while  others  again  ^tnpute  it  to  sudden  and 
violent  passages  of  streams  of  the  electric  fluid ;  but  the 
effects  in  the  woods  are  familiar  to  all.  On  the  upper 
margin  of  the  opening  to  which  there  is  allusion,  the  view- 
less influence  had  piled  tree  on  tree,  in  such  a  manner  as 
had  not  only  enabled  the  two  males  of  the  party  to  ascend 
to  an  elevation  of  some  thirty  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
earth,  but,  with  a  little  care  and  encouragement,  to  induce 
their  more  timid  companions  to  accompany  them.  The 
vast  trunks  that  had  been  broken  and  driven  by  the 
force  of  the  gust,  lay  blended  like  jackstraws ;  while  their 
branches,  still  exhaling  the  fragrance  of  wilted  leaves, 
were  interlaced  in  a  manner  to  afford  sufficient  support  to 
the  hands.  One  tree  had  been  completely  uprooted ;  and 
its  lower  end,  filled  with  earth,  had  been  cast  uppermost,  in 
a  way  to  supply  a  sort  of  staging  for  the  four  adventurers, 
when  they  had  gained  the  desired  distance  from  the  ground. 
The  reader  is  to  anticipate  none  of  the  appliances  of 
people  of  condition  in  the  description  of  the  personal  ap- 
pearances of  the  group  in  question.  They  were  all  way- 
farers in  the  wilderness ;  and  had  they  not  been,  neither 
their  previous  habits  nor  their  actual  social  positions  would 
have  accustomed  them  to  many  of  the  luxuries  of  rank. 
Two  of  the  party,  indeed,  a  male  and  female,  belonged  to 
the  native  owners  of  the  soil,  being  Indians  of  the  well- 
known  tribe  of  the  Tuscaroras ;  while  their  companions 
were  a  man,  who  bore  about  him  the  peculiarities  of  one 
who  had  passed  his  days  on  the  ocean,  and  this,  too,  in 
a  station  little,  if  any,  above  that  of  a  common  mariner ; 
while  his  female  associate  was  a  maiden  of  a  class  in  no 


Ube 


great  degree  superior  to  his  own  ;  though  her  youth,  sweet- 
ness of  countenance,  and  a  modest  but  spirited  mien,  lent 
that  character  of  intellect  and  refinement  which  adds  so 
much  to  the  charm  of  beauty  in  the  sex.  On  the  present 
occasion  her  full  blue  eye  reflected  the  feeling  of  sublimity 
that  the  scene  excited,  and  her  pleasant  face  was  beaming 
with  the  pensive  expression  with  which  ah1  deep  emotions, 
even  though  they  bring  the  most  grateful  pleasure,  shadow 
the  countenances  of  the  ingenuous  and  thoughtful. 

And,  truly,  the  scene  was  of  a  nature  deeply  to  impress 
the  imagination  of  the  beholder.  Towards  the  west,  in 
which  direction  the  faces  of  the  party  were  turned,  and  in 
tvhich  alone  could  much  be  seen,  the  eye  ranged  over  an 
ocean  of  leaves,  glorious  and  rich  in  the  varied  but  lively 
Verdure  of  a  generous  vegetation,  and  shaded  by  the  luxu- 
riant tints  that  belong  to  the  forty-second  degree  of  latitude. 
/The  elm,  with  its  graceful  and  weeping  top,  the  rich 
varieties  of  the  maple,  most  of  the  noble  oaks  of  the 
American  forest,  with  the  broad-leafed  linden,  known  in 
the  parlance  of  the  country  as  the  bass-wood,  mingled  their 
uppermost  branches,  forming  one  broad  and  seemingly  in- 
terminable carpet  of  foliage,  that  stretched  away  towards 
the  setting  sun,  until  it  bounded  the  horizon,  by  blending 
with  the  clouds,  as  the  waves  and  the  sky  meet  at  the  base 
of  the  vault  of  heaven.  Here  and  there,  by  some  accident 
of  the  tempests,  or  by  a  caprice  of  nature,  a  trifling  opening 
among  these  giant  members  of  the  forest  permitted  an  infe- 
rior tree  to  struggle  upwards  towards  the  light,  and  to  lift 
its  modest  head  nearly  to  a  level  with  the  surrounding 
surface  of  verdure.  Of  this  class  were  the  birch,  a  tree  of 
some  account  in  regions  less  favored,  the  quivering  aspen, 
various  generous  nut-woods,  and  divers  others  that  resem- 
bled the  ignoble  and  vulgar,  thrown  by  cicumstances  into  the 
presence  of  the  stately  and  great.  Here  and  there,  too,  the 
tall,  straight  trunk  of  the  pine  pierced  the  vast  field,  rising 
high  above  it,  like  some  grand  monument  reared  by  art  on  a 
plain  of  leaves. 

It  was  the  vastness  of  the  view,  the  nearly  unbroken 
surface  of  verdure,  that  contained  the  principle  of  g.randeur. 


ipatbfinfcer 


The  beauty  was  to  be  traced  in  the  delicate  tints,  relieved  by 
gradations  of  light  and  shadow  ;  while  the  solemn  repose 
induced  the  feeling  allied  to  awe. 

"  Uncle,"  said  the  wondering,  but  pleased  girl,  addressing 
her  male  companion,  whose  arm  she  rather  touched  than 
leaned  on,  to  steady  her  own  light  but  firm  footing,  "  this 
is  like  a  view  of  the  ocean  you  so  much  love  !  '  ' 

"So  much  for  ignorance,  and  a  girl's  fancy,  Magnet,"  — 
a  term  of  affection  the  sailor  often  used  in  allusion  to  his 
niece's  personal  attractions  ;  "  no  one  but  a  child  would  think 
of  likening  this  handful  of  leaves  to  a  look  at  the  real  At- 
lantic. You  might  seize  all  these  tree-tops  to  Neptune's 
jacket,  and  they  would  make  no  more  than  a  nosegay  for 
his  bosom." 

"More  fanciful  than  true,  I  think,  uncle.  I/ook  thither; 
it  must  be  miles  on  miles,  and  yet  we  see  nothing  but 
leaves  !  what  more  could  one  behold,  if  looking  at  the 
ocean?" 

"  More  !  "  returned  the  uncle,  giving  an  impatient  gesture 
with  the  elbow  the  other  touched,  for  his  arms  were  crossed, 
and  the  hands  were  thrust  into  the  bosom  of  a  vest  of  red 
cloth,  a  fashion  of  the  times,  '  '  more,  Magnet  ?  say,  rather, 
what  less  ?  Where  are  your  combing  seas,  your  blue  water, 
your  rollers,  your  breakers,  your  whales,  or  your  water- 
spouts, and  your  endless  motion,  in  this  bit  of  a  forest, 
child?" 

"  And  where  are  your  tree-tops,  your  solemn  silence, 
your  fragrant  leaves,  and  your  beautiful  green,  uacle,  on 
the  ocean?" 

"Tut,  Magnet;  if  you  understood  the  thing,  you  would 
know  that  green  water  is  a  sailor's  bane.  He  scarcely 
relishes  a  greenhorn  less.  '  ' 

'  '  But  green  trees  are  a  different  thing.  Hist  !  that  sound 
is  the  air  breathing  among  the  leaves  !  '  ' 

"You  should  hear  a  nor'  wester  breathe,  girl,  if  you  fancy 
wind  aloft.  Now,  where  are  your  gales,  and  hurricanes, 
and  trades,  and  levanters,  and  such  like  incidents,  in  this  bit 
of  a  forest,  and  what  fishes  have  you  swimming  beneath 
yonder  tame  surface  !  " 


trbe  ipatbffnfcet  5 


''That  there  have  been  tempests  here,  these  signs  around 
us  plainly  show  ;  and  beasts,  if  not  fishes,  are  beneath  those 
leaves. ' ' 

"  I  do  not  know  that,"  returned  the  uncle,  with  a  sailor's 
dogmatism.  "They  told  us  many  stories  at  Albany,  of  the 
wild  animals  we  should  fall  in  with,  and  yet  we  have  seen 
nothing  to  frighten  a  seal.  I  doubt  if  any  of  your  inland 
animals  will  compare  with  a  low  latitude  shark  !  ' ' 

"See!"  exclaimed  the  niece,  who  was  more  occupied 
with  the  sublimity  and  beauty  of  the  "boundless  wood" 
than  with  her  uncle's  arguments,  "  yonder  is  a  smoke  curl- 
ing over  the  tops  of  the  trees  ;  can  it  come  from  a  house  ? ' ' 

"Ay,  ay,  there  is  a  look  of  humanity  in  that  smoke,"  re- 
turned the  old  seaman,  "which  is  worth  a  thousand  trees ; 
I  must  show  it  to  Arrowhead,  who  may  be  running  past  a 
port  without  knowing  it.  It  is  probable  there  is  a  caboose 
where  there  is  a  smoke. ' ' 

As  he  concluded,  the  uncle  drew  a  hand  from  his  bosom, 
touched  the  male  Indian  who  was  standing  near  him  lightly 
on  the  shoulder,  and  pointed  out  a  thin  line  of  vapor  that 
was  stealing  slowly  out  of  the  wilderness  of  leaves,  at  a 
distance  of  about  a  mile,  and  was  diffusing  itself  in  almost 
imperceptible  threads  of  humidity,  in  the  quivering  atmos- 
phere. The  Tuscarora  was  one  of  those  noble-looking 
warriors  that  were  oftener  met  with  among  the  aborigines 
of  this  continent  a  century  since,  than  to-day ;  and,  while 
he  had  mingled  sufficiently  with  the  colonists  to  be  familiar 
with  their  habits,  and  even  with  their  language,  he  had  lost 
little,  if  any,  of  the  wild  grandeur  and  simple  dignity  of  a 
chief.  Between  him  and  the  old  seaman  the  intercourse 
had  been  friendly,  but  distant,  for  -the  Indian  had  been  too 
much  accustomed  to  mingle  with  the  officers  of  the  different 
military  posts  he  had  frequented,  not  to  understand  that  his 
present  companion  was  only  a  subordinate.  So  imposing, 
indeed,  had  been  the  quiet  superiority  of  the  Tuscarora' s 
reserve,  that  Charles  Cap,  for  so  was  the  seaman  named,  in 
his  most  dogmatical  or  facetious  moments  had  not  ventured 
on  familiarity,  in  an  intercourse  that  had  now  lasted  more 
than  a  week.  The  sight  of  the  curling  smoke,  however, 


ipatbfinber 


had  struck  the  latter  like  the  sudden  appearance  of  a  sail 
at  sea,  and,  for  the  first  time  since  they  met,  he  ventured  to 
touch  the  warrior,  as  has  been  related. 

The  quick  eye  of  the  Tuscarora  instantly  caught  a  sight 
of  the  smoke,  and  for  quite  a  minute  he  stood,  slightly  raised 
on  tiptoe,  with  distended  nostrils,  like  the  buck  that  scents 
a  taint  in  the  air,  and  a  gaze  as  riveted  as  that  of  the 
trained  pointer,  while  he  waits  his  master's  aim.  Then 
falling  back  on  his  feet,  a  low  exclamation,  in  the  soft  tones 
that  form  so  singular  a  contrast  to  its  harsher  cries  in  the 
Indian  warrior's  voice,  was  barely  audible  ;  otherwise,  he 
was  undisturbed.  His  countenance  was  calm,  and  his  quick, 
dark,  eagle  eye  moved  over  the  leafy  panorama,  as  if  to 
take  in  at  a  glance  every  circumstance  that  might  enlighten 
his  mind.  That  the  long  journey  they  had  attempted  to 
make  through  a  broad  belt  of  wilderness  was  necessarily 
attended  with  danger,  both  uncle  and  niece  well  knew  ; 
though  neither  could  at  once  determine  whether  the  sign 
that  others  were  in  the  vicinity  was  the  harbinger  of  good 
or  evil. 

"There  must  be  Oneidas  or  Tuscaroras  near  us,  Arrow- 
head," said  Cap,  addressing  his  Indian  companion  by  his 
conventional  English  name;  "will  it  not  be  well  to  join 
company  with  them,  and  get  a  comfortable  berth  for  the 
night  in  their  wigwam  ?  '  ' 

1  '  No  wigwam  there,  '  '  Arrowhead  answered,  in  his  un- 
moved manner  ;  '  '  too  much  tree.  '  ' 

"  But  Indians  must  be  there  ;  perhaps  some  old  messmates 
of  your  own,  Master  Arrowhead." 

"  No  Tuscarora  —  no  Oneida  —  no  Mohawk  ;  pale-face  fire." 

"The  devil  it  is  !  well,  Magnet,  this  surpasses  a  seaman's 
philosophy  ;  we  old  sea-dogs  can  tell  a  soldier's  from  a 
sailor's  quid,  or  a  lubber's  nest  from  a  mate's  hammock; 
but  I  do  not  think  the  oldest  admiral  in  his  majesty's  fleet 
can  tell  a  king's  smoke  from  a  collier's  !  " 

The  idea  that  human  beings  were  in  their  vicinity  in  that 
ocean  of  wilderness,  had  deepened  the  flush  on  the  blooming 
cheek  and  brightened  the  eye  of  the  fair  creature  at  his 
side,  but  she  soon  turned  with  a  look  of  surprise  to  her  rel- 


Ube  jpatbfinfcer  7 

ative,  and  said,  hesitatingly,  for  both  had  often  admired  the 
Tuscarora's  knowledge,  or  we  might  almost  say,  instinct, — 

"A  pale-face's  fire!  Surely,  uncle,  he  cannot  know 
that  !  " 

"Ten  days  since,  child,  I  would  have  sworn  to  it;  but 
now,  I  hardly  know  what  to  believe.  May  I  take  the  lib- 
erty of  asking,  Arrowhead,  why  you  fancy  that  smoke,  now, 
a  pale-face's  smoke,  and  not  a  redskin's  ?  " 

"Wet  wood,"  returned  the  warrior,  with  the  calmness 
with  which  the  pedagogue  might  point  out  an  arithmetical 
demonstration  to  his  puzzled  pupil.  ' '  Much  wet — much 
smoke  ;  much  water — black  smoke." 

' '  But,  begging  your  pardon,  Master  Arrowhead,  the 
smoke  is  not  black,  nor  is  there  much  of  it.  To  my  eye, 
now,  it  is  as  light  and  fanciful  a  smoke  as  ever  rose  from  a 
captain's  tea-kettle,  when  nothing  was  left  to  make  the  fire 
but  a  few  chips  from  the  dunnage." 

"Too  much  water,"  returned  Arrowhead,  with  a  slight 
nod  of  the  head  :  ' '  Tuscarora  too  cunning  to  make  fire  with 
water  ;  pale-face  too  much  book,  and  burn  anything  ;  much 
book,  little  know." 

"Well,  that 's  reasonable,  I  allow,"  said  Cap,  who  was  no 
devotee  of  learning  :  "  he  means  that  as  a  hit  at  your  read- 
ing, Magnet,  for  the  chief  has  sensible  notions  of  things  in 
his  own  way.  How  far,  now,  Arrowhead,  do  you  make  us, 
by  your  calculation,  from  the  bit  of  a  pond  that  you  call 
the  Great  Lake,  and  towards  which  we  have  been  so  many 
days  shaping  our  course  ?  ' ' 

The  Tuscarora  looked  at  the  seaman  with  quiet  superior- 
ity, as  he  answered, — 

"Ontario,  like  heaven;  one  sun,  and  the  great  traveller 
will  know  it." 

"Well,  I  have  been  a  great  traveller,  I  cannot  deny,  but 
of  all  my  v'y'ges  this  has  been  the  longest,  the  least  profit- 
able, and  the  farthest  inland.  If  this  body  of  fresh  water 
is  so  high,  Arrowhead,  and  at  the  same  time  so  large,  one 
might  think  a  pair  of  good  eyes  would  find  it  out,  for,  ap- 
parently, everything  within  thirty  miles  is  to  be  seen  from 
this  lookout." 


patbfinber 


"Look,"  said  Arrowhead,  stretching  an  arm  before  him 
with  quiet  grace  ;  '  '  Ontario  !  '  ' 

'  '  Uncle,  you  are  accustomed  to  cry  '  Land  ho  !  '  but  not 
'  Water  ho  !  '  and  you  do  not  see  it,"  cried  the  niece,  laugh- 
ing as  girls  will  laugh  at  their  own  idle  conceits. 

"  How  now,  Magnet  !  dost  suppose  that  I  should  n't  know 
my  native  element,  if  it  were  in  sight  ?  '  ' 

"But  Ontario  is  not  your  native  element,  dear  uncle,  for 
you  come  from  the  salt  water,  while  this  is  fresh." 

'  '  That  might  make  some  difference  to  your  young  mari- 
ner, but  none  in  the  world  to  the  old  one.  I  should  know 
water,  child,  were  I  to  see  it  in  China.  '  ' 

"Ontario!"  repeated  Arrowhead,  with  emphasis,  again 
stretching  his  hand  towards  the  northwest. 

Cap  looked  at  the  Tuscarora,  for  the  first  time  since  their 
acquaintance,  with  something  like  an  air  of  contempt, 
though  he  did  not  fail  to  follow  the  direction  of  the  chiefs 
eye  and  arm,  both  of  which  were  pointing,  to  all  appear- 
ance, towards  a  vacant  spot  in  the  heavens,  a  short  distance 
above  the  plain  of  leaves. 

"Ay,  ay;  this  is  much  as  I  expected,  when  I  left  the 
coast  to  come  in  search  of  a  fresh-  water  pond,"  resumed 
Cap,  shrugging  his  shoulders  like  one  whose  mind  was 
made  up,  and  who  thought  no  more  need  be  said.  '  '  Onta- 
rio may  be  there,  or,  for  that  matter,  it  may  be  in  my 
pocket.  Well,  I  suppose  there  will  be  room  enough,  when 
we  reach  it,  to  work  our  canoe.  But,  Arrowhead,  if  there 
be  pale-faces  in  our  neighborhood,  I  confess  I  should  like  to 
get  within  hail  of  them." 

The  Tuscarora  now  gave  a  quiet  inclination  of  his  head, 
and  the  whole  party  descended  from  the  roots  of  the  up- 
torn  tree,  in  silence.  When  they  had  reached  the  ground, 
Arrowhead  intimated  his  intention  to  go  towards  the  fire, 
and  ascertain  who  had  lighted  it,  while  he  advised  his  wife 
and  the  two  others  to  proceed  to  a  canoe,  which  they  had 
left  in  the  adjacent  stream,  and  await  his  return. 

"  Why,  chief,  this  might  do  on  soundings,  and  in  an  offing 
where  one  knew  the  channel,"  returned  old  Cap,  "  but  in 
an  unknown  region  like  this,  I  think  it  unsafe  to  trust  the 


patbfinfcer 


pilot  alone  too  far  from  the  ship  ;  so,  with  your  leave,  we 
will  not  part  company." 

"What  my  brother  want?"  asked  the  Indian,  gravely, 
though  without  taking  offence  at  a  distrust  that  was  suffi- 
ciently plain. 

"Your  company,  Master  Arrowhead,  and  no  more.  I 
will  go  with  you,  and  speak  these  strangers." 

The  Tuscarora  assented  without  difficulty,  and  again  he 
directed  his  patient  and  submissive  little  wife,  who  seldom 
turned  her  full,  rich  black  eye  on  him,  but  to  express 
equally  her  respect,  her  dread,  and  her  love,  to  proceed  to 
the  boat.  But  here  Magnet  raised  a  difficulty.  Although 
spirited,  and  of  unusual  energy  under  circumstances  of  trial, 
she  was  but  woman,  and  the  idea  of  being  entirely  deserted 
by  her  two  male  protectors,  in  the  midst  of  a  wilderness, 
that  her  senses  had  just  told  her  was  seemingly  illimitable, 
became  so  keenly  painful,  that  she  expressed  a  wish  to  ac- 
company her  uncle. 

'  '  The  exercise  will  be  a  relief,  dear  sir,  after  sitting  so 
long  in  the  canoe,"  she  added,  as  the  rich  blood  slowly  re- 
turned to  a  cheek  that  had  paled,  in  spite  of  her  efforts  to 
be  calm,  "  and  there  may  be  females  with  the  strangers." 

"Come,  then,  child;  it  is  but  a  cable's  length,  and  we 
shall  return  an  hour  before  the  sun  sets." 

With  this  permission,  the  girl,  whose  real  name  was 
Mabel  Dunham,  prepared  to  be  of  the  party,  while  the 
Dew-of-June,  as  the  wife  of  Arrowhead  was  called,  pas- 
sively went  her  way  towards  the  canoe,  too  much  accus- 
tomed to  obedience,  solitude,  and  the  gloom  of  the  forest, 
to  feel  apprehension. 

The  three  who  remained  in  the  wind-row  now  picked 
their  way  around  its  tangled  maze,  and  gained  the  margin 
of  the  woods,  in  the  necessary  direction.  A  few  glances  of 
the  eye  sufficed  for  Arrowhead,  but  old  Cap  deliberately 
set  the  smoke  by  a  pocket  compass,  before  he  trusted  him- 
self within  the  shadows  of  the  trees. 

'  '  This  steering  by  the  nose,  Magnet,  may  do  well  enough 
for  an  Indian,  but  your  thorough-bred  knows  the  virtue  of 
the  needle,  '  '  said  the  uncle,  as  he  trudged  at  the  heels  of  the 


io  Ube  patbffttoer 


light-stepping  Tuscarora.  "  America  would  never  have 
been  discovered,  take  my  word  for  it,  if  Columbus  had  been 
nothing  but  nostrils.  Friend  Arrowhead,  didst  ever  see  a 
machine  like  this  ?  ' ' 

The  Indian  turned,  cast  a  glance  at  the  compass,  which  Cap 
held  in  a  way  to  direct  his  course,  and  gravely  answered, — 

"  A  pale-face  eye.  The  Tuscarora  see  in  his  head.  The 
Salt-water" — for  so  the  Indian  styled  his  companion — "all 
eye  now  ;  no  tongue." 

"  He  means,  uncle,  that  we  had  needs  be  silent ;  perhaps 
he  distrusts  the  persons  we  are  about  to  meet." 

"Ay — 'tis  an  Indian's  fashion  of  going  to  quarters. 
You  perceive  he  has  examined  the  priming  of  his  rifle,  and 
it  may  be  as  well  if  I  look  to  that  of  my  own  pistols." 

Without  betraying  alarm  at  these  preparations,  to  which 
she  had  become  accustomed  by  her  long  journey  in  the 
wilderness,  Mabel  followed  with  a  step  as  light  and  elastic 
as  that  of  the  Indian,  keeping  close  in  the  rear  of  her  com- 
panions. For  the  first  half  mile  no  other  caution  beyond 
a  rigid  silence  was  observed,  but  as  the  party  drew  nearer  to 
the  spot  where  the  fire  was  known  to  be,  much  greater  care 
became  necessary. 

The  forest,  as  usual,  had  little  to  intercept  the  view  be- 
low the  branches,  but  the  tall  straight  trunks  of  trees. 
Everything  belonging  to  vegetation  had  struggled  towards 
the  light,  and  beneath  the  leafy  canopy  one  walked,  as  it 
might  be,  through  a  vast  natural  vault,  that  was  upheld  by 
myriads  of  rustic  columns.  These  columns,  or  trees,  how- 
ever, often  served  to  conceal  the  adventurer,  the  hunter,  or 
the  foe,  and  as  Arrowhead  swiftly  approached  the  spot 
where  his  practised  and  unerring  senses  told  him  the  stran- 
gers ought  to  be,  his  footsteps  gradually  became  lighter, 
his  eye  more  vigilant,  and  his  person  was  more  carefully 
concealed. 

"See,  Salt-water,"  he  said,  exultingly,  pointing  at  the 
same  time  through  the  vista  of  trees,  ' '  pale-face  fire  ! ' ' 

"By  the  Lord,  the  fellow  is  right!"  muttered  Cap; 
"there  they  are,  sure  enough,  and  eating  their  grub  as 
quietly  as  if  they  were  in  the  cabin  of  a  three-decker." 


TTbe  patbffnfcer  u 

"Arrowhead  is  but  half  right,"  whispered  Mabel,  "for 
there  are  two  Indians  and  only  one  white  man. ' ' 

"Pale- face,"  said  the  Tuscarora,  holding  up  two  fingers, 
"  redman,"  holding  up  one. 

' '  Well, ' '  rejoined  Cap,  "  it  is  hard  to  say  which  is  right  and 
which  is  wrong.  One  is  entirely  white,  and  a  fine  comely 
lad  he  is,  with  an  air  of  life  and  respectability  about  him  ; 
one  is  a  redskin  as  plain  as  paint  and  nature  can  make  him  ; 
but  the  third  chap  is  half-rigged,  being  neither  brig  nor 
schooner." 

' '  Pale- face, ' '  repeated  Arrowhead,  again  raising  two  fin- 
gers ;  "redman,"  showing  but  one. 

"He  must  be  right,  uncle,  for  his  eye  seems  never  to  fail. 
But  it  is  now  urgent  to  know  whether  we  meet  as  friends  or 
foes.  They  may  be  French. ' ' 

"One  hail  will  soon  satisfy  us  on  that  head,"  returned 
Cap.  ' '  Stand  you  behind  this  tree,  Magnet,  lest  the  knaves 
take  it  into  their  heads  to  fire  a  broadside  without  a  parley, 
and  I  will  soon  learn  what  colors  they  sail  under. ' ' 

The  uncle  had  placed  his  two  hands  to  his  mouth  to  form 
a  trumpet,  and  was  about  to  give  the  promised  hail,  when  a 
rapid  movement  from  Arrowhead  defeated  the  intention  by 
deranging  the  instrument. 

"Redman,  Mohican,"  said  the  Tuscarora  ;  "good;  pale- 
faces, Yengeese." 

"These  are  heavenly  tidings,"  murmured  Mabel,  who 
little  relished  the  prospect  of  a  deadly  fray  in  that  remote 
wilderness.  ' '  Let  us  approach  at  once,  dear  uncle,  and  pro- 
claim ourselves  friends." 

"  Good  !  "  said  the  Tuscarora  ;  "redman  cool,  and  know  ; 
pale-face  hurried,  and  fire.  Let  squaw  go." 

' '  What ! ' '  said  Cap,  in  astonishment,  ' '  send  little  Magnet 
ahead,  as  a  lookout,  while  two  lubbers,  like  you  and  me, 
lie-to,  to  see  what  sort  of  a  land-fall  she  will  make  !  If 
I  do,  I—" 

"  It  is  wisest,  uncle,"  interrupted  the  generous  girl,  "  and 
I  have  no  fear.  No  Christian,  seeing  a  woman  approach 
alone,  would  fire  upon  her,  and  my  presence  will  be  a  pledge 
of  peace.  Let  me  go  forward,  as  Arrowhead  wishes,  and  all 


12  tTbe  patbfinber 


will  be  well.  We  are  as  yet  unseen,  and  the  surprise  of  the 
strangers  will  not  partake  of  alarm." 

"  Good  !  "  returned  Arrowhead,  who  did  not  conceal  his 
approbation  of  Mabel's  spirit. 

' '  It  has  an  unseaman-like  look, ' '  answered  Cap,  ' '  but  be- 
ing in  the  woods,  no  one  will  know  it.  If  you  think,  Mabel — ' ' 

"  Uncle,  I  know  there  is  no  cause  to  fear  for  me  ;  and  you 
are  always  nigh  to  protect  me." 

"Well,  take  one  of  the  pistols,  then — " 

"  Nay,  I  had  better  rely  on  my  youth  and  feebleness," 
said  the  girl,  smiling,  while  her  color  heightened  under  her 
feelings.  "  Among  Christian  men,  a  woman's  best  guard  is 
her  claim  to  their  protection.  I  know  nothing  of  arms,  and 
wish  to  live  in  ignorance  of  them." 

The  uncle  desisted  ;  and,  after  receiving  a  few  cautious  in- 
structions from  the  Tuscarora,  Mabel  rallied  all  her  spirit, 
and  advanced  alone  towards  the  group  seated  near  the  fire. 
Although  the  heart  of  the  girl  beat  quick,  her  step  was  firm, 
and  her  movements,  seemingly,  were  without  reluctance.  A 
death-like  silence  reigned  in  the  forest,  for  they  towards 
whom  she  approached  were  too  much  occupied  in  appeasing 
that  great  natural  appetite,  hunger,  to  avert  their  looks  for 
an  instant  from  the  important  business  in  which  they  were 
all  engaged.  When  Mabel,  however,  had  got  within  a  hun- 
dred feet  of  the  fire,  she  trod  upon  a  dried  stick,  and  the  trifl- 
ing noise  that  was  produced  by  her  light  footstep  caused  the 
Mohican,  as  Arrowhead  had  pronounced  the  Indian  to  be, 
and  his  companion  whose  character  had  been  thought  so 
equivocal,  to  rise  to  their  feet,  as  quick  as  thought.  Both 
glanced  at  the  rifles  that  leaned  against  a  tree,  and  then  each 
stood  without  stretching  out  an  arm,  as  his  eyes  fell  on  the 
form  of  the  girl.  The  Indian  uttered  a  few  words  to  his 
companion,  and  resumed  his  seat  and  his  meal  as  calmly  as 
if  no  interruption  had  occurred.  On  the  contrary,  the  white 
man  left  the  fire,  and  came  forward  to  meet  Mabel. 

The  latter  saw,  as  the  stranger  approached,  that  she  was 
about  to  be  addressed  by  one  of  her  own  color,  though  his 
dress  was  so  strange  a  mixture  of  the  habits  of  the  two  races, 
that  it  required  a  near  look  to  be  certain  of  the  fact.  He 


patbffn&er  13 


was  of  middle  age,  but  there  was  an  open  honesty,  a  total 
absence  of  guile,  in  his  face,  which  otherwise  would  not  have 
been  thought  handsome,  that  at  once  assured  Magnet  she 
was  in  no  danger.  Still  she  paused,  in  obedience  to  a  law  of 
her  habits  if  not  of  nature,  which  rendered  her  averse  to  the 
appearance  of  advancing  too  freely  to  meet  one  of  the  other 
sex,  under  the  circumstances  in  which  she  was  placed. 

"  Fear  nothing,  young  woman,"  said  the  hunter,  for  such 
his  attire  would  indicate  him  to  be,  ' '  you  have  met  Christian 
men  in  the  wilderness,  and  such  as  know  how  to  treat  all 
kindly  that  are  disposed  to  peace  and  justice.  I  'm  a  man 
well  known  in  all  these  parts,  and  perhaps  one  of  my  names 
may  have  reached  your  ears.  By  the  Frenchers,  and  the 
redskins  on  the  other  side  of  the  Big  L,akes,  I  am  called  L,a 
L,ongue  Carabine  ;  by  the  Mohicans,  a  just-minded  and 
upright  tribe,  what  is  left  of  them,  Hawkeye  ;  while  the 
troops  and  rangers  along  this  side  of  the  water  call  me  Path- 
finder, inasmuch  as  I  have  never  been  know  to  miss  one  end 
of  the  trail,  when  there  was  a  Mingo,  or  a  friend  who  stood 
in  need  of  me,  at  the  other. ' ' 

This  was  not  uttered  boastfully,  but  with  the  honest  con- 
fidence of  one  who  well  knew  that  by  whatever  name  others 
might  have  heard  of  him,  he  had  no  reason  to  blush  at  the 
reports.  The  effect  on  Mabel  was  instantaneous.  The  mo- 
ment she  heard  the  last  sobriquet,  she  clasped  her  hands 
eagerly  and  repeated  the  word, — 

"  Pathfinder !" 

"So  they  call  me,  young  woman,  and  many  a  great  lord  has 
got  a  title  that  he  did  not  half  so  well  merit ;  though,  if  truth 
be  said,  I  rather  pride  myself  in  finding  my  way  where  there 
is  no  path,  than  in  finding  it  where  there  is.  But  the  regular 
troops  be  by  no  means  particular,  and  half  the  time  they 
don't  know  the  difference  atween  a  trail  and  a  path,  though 
one  is  a  matter  for  the  eye,  while  the  other  is  little  more 
than  scent. ' ' 

"Then  you  are  the  friend  my  father  promised  to  send  to 
meet  us !  " 

"If  you  are  Sergeant  Dunham's  daughter,  the  great 
Prophet  of  the  Dela wares  never  uttered  a  plainer  truth." 


14  Ube  patbffnfcer 


"  I  am  Mabel,  and  yonder,  hid  by  the  trees,  are  my  uncle, 
whose  name  is  Cap,  and  a  Tuscarora,  called  Arrowhead. 
We  did  not  hope  to  meet  you  until  we  had  nearly  reached  the 
shores  of  the  lake." 

"I  wish  a  juster-minded  Indian  had  been  your  guide," 
said  Pathfinder,  ' '  for  I  am  no  lover  of  the  Tuscaroras,  who 
have  travelled  too  far  from  the  graves  of  their  fathers  always 
to  remember  the  Great  Spirit :  and  Arrowhead  is  an  ambi- 
tious chief.  Is  Dew-of-June  with  him  ? ' ' 

"His  wife  accompanies  us,  and  a  humble  and  mild 
creature  she  is." 

"Ay,  and  true-hearted;  which  is  more  than  any  who 
knows  him  will  say  of  Arrowhead.  Well,  we  must  take  the 
fare  that  Providence  bestows,  while  we  follow  the  trail  of 
life.  I  suppose  worse  guides  might  have  been  found  than 
the  Tuscarora  ;  though  he  has  too  much  Mingo  blood  for 
one  who  consorts  altogether  with  the  Delawares." 

"  It  is  then,  perhaps,  fortunate  we  have  met,"  said  Mabel. 

"It  is  not  misfortinate  at  any  rate ;  for  I  promised  the 
sergeant  I  would  see  his  child  safe  to  the  garrison,  though 
I  died  for  it.  We  expected  to  meet  you  before  you  reached 
the  falls,  where  we  have  left  our  own  canoe ;  while  we 
thought  it  might  do  no  harm  to  come  up  a  few  miles,  in 
order  to  be  of  sarvice  if  wanted.  It's  lucky  we  did,  for  I 
doubt  if  Arrowhead  be  the  man  to  shoot  the  current." 

' '  Here  come  my  uncle  and  the  Tuscarora,  and  our  parties 
can  now  join." 

As  Mabel  concluded,  Cap  and  Arrowhead,  who  saw  that 
the  conference  was  amicable,  drew  nigh,  and  a  few  words 
sufficed  to  let  them  know  as  much  as  the  girl  herself  had 
learned  from  the  strangers.  As  soon  as  this  was  done,  the 
party  proceeded  towards  the  two  who  still  remained  near 
the  fire. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Yea  !  long  as  nature's  humblest  child 
Hath  kept  her  temple  undefiled 

By  simple  sacrifice, 
Earth's  fairest  scenes  are  all  his  own  ; 
He  is  a  monarch,  and  his  throne 

Is  built  amid  the  skies  !  " 


THE  Mohican  continued  to  eat,  though  the  second 
white  man  rose,  and  courteously  took  off  his  cap 
to  Mabel  Dunham.  He  was  young,  healthful, 
and  manly  in  appearance  ;  and  he  wore  a  dress, 
which,  while  it  was  less  rigidly  professional  than  that  of  the 
uncle,  also  denoted  one  accustomed  to  the  water.  In  that 
age  real  seamen  were  a  class  entirely  apart  from  the  rest  of 
mankind  ;  their  ideas,  ordinary  language,  and  attire,  being 
as  strongly  indicative  of  their  calling,  as  the  opinions,  speech, 
and  dress  of  a  Turk  denote  a  Mussulman.  Although  the 
Pathfinder  was  scarcely  in  the  prime  of  life,  Mabel  had  met 
him  with  a  steadiness  that  may  have  been  the  consequence 
of  having  braced  her  nerves  for  the  interview  ;  but,  when 
her  eyes  encountered  those  of  the  young  man  at  the  fire, 
they  fell  before  the  gaze  of  admiration  with  which  she  saw, 
or  fancied  she  saw,  he  greeted  her.  Each,  in  truth,  felt  that 
interest  in  the  other,  which  similarity  of  age,  condition, 
mutual  comeliness,  and  their  novel  situation,  would  be  likely 
to  inspire  in  the  young  and  ingenuous. 

"Here,"  said  Pathfinder,  with  an  honest  smile  bestowed 
on  Mabel,  "  are  the  friends  your  worthy  father  has  sent  to 
meet  you.  This  is  a  great  Delaware  ;  and  one  that  has  had 
honors  as  well  as  troubles  in  his  day,  He  has  an  Injin 


16  Ube  patbfinbet 


name  fit  for  a  chief,  but  as  the  language  is  not  always  easy 
for  the  inexperienced  to  pronounce,  we  nat' rally  turn  it  into 
English,  and  call  him  the  Big  Sarpent.  You  are  not  to 
suppose,  however,  that  by  this  name  we  wish  to  say  that  he 
is  treacherous,  beyond  what  is  lawful  in  a  redskin,  but  thai 
he  is  wise,  and  has  the  cunning  that  becomes  a  warrior. 
Arrowhead,  there,  knows  what  I  mean." 

While  the  Pathfinder  was  delivering  this  address,  the  two 
Indians  gazed  on  each  other  steadily,  and  the  Tuscarora 
advanced  and  spoke  to  the  other  in  an  apparently  friendly 
manner. 

' '  I  like  to  see  this, ' '  continued  Pathfinder ;  ' '  the  salutes 
of  two  redskins  in  the  woods,  Master  Cap,  are  like  the  hail- 
ing of  friendly  vessels  on  the  ocean.  But,  speaking  of  water, 
it  reminds  me  of  my  young  friend,  Jasper  Western,  here, 
who  can  claim  to  know  something  of  these  matters,  seeing 
that  he  has  passed  his  days  on  Ontario. ' ' 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  friend,  "said  Cap,  giving  the  young 
fresh- water  sailor  a  cordial  gripe ;  ' '  though  you  must  have 
something  still  to  learn,  considering  the  school  to  which  you 
have  been  sent.  This  is  my  niece,  Mabel ;  I  call  her  Magnet, 
for  a  reason  she  never  dreams  of,  though  you  may  possibly 
have  education  enough  to  guess  at  it,  having  some  pre- 
tensions to  understand  the  compass,  I  suppose." 

' '  The  reason  is  easily  comprehended, ' '  said  the  young  man, 
involuntarily  fastening  his  keen,  dark  eye,  at  the  same  time, 
on  the  suffused  face  of  the  girl ;  "  and  I  feel  sure  that  the 
sailor  who  steers  by  your  Magnet,  will  never  make  a  bad 
land-fall." 

"  Ha  !  you  do  make  use  of  some  of  the  terms,  I  find,  and 
that  with  propriety  and  understanding;  though,  on  the 
whole,  I  fear  you  have  seen  more  green  than  blue  water  !  " 

"It  is  not  surprising  that  we  should  get  some  of  the 
phrases  that  belong  to  the  land,  for  we  are  seldom  out  of 
sight  of  it  twenty- four  hours  at  a  time." 

"  More 's  the  pity,  boy  ;  more  's  the  pity.  A  very  little 
land  ought  to  go  a  great  way  with  a  seafaring  man.  Now, 
if  the  truth  were  known,  Master  Western,  I  suppose  there  is 
more  or  less  land  all  round  your  lake." 


patbfinfcer  17 


"And,  uncle,  is  there  not  more  or  less  land  all  round  the 
ocean  ?  ' '  said  Magnet,  quickly  ;  for  she  dreaded  a  premature 
display  of  the  old  seaman's  peculiar  dogmatism,  not  to  say 
pedantry. 

"  No,  child,  there  is  more  or  less  ocean  all  round  the  land  ! 
that  's  what  I  tell  the  people  ashore,  youngster.  They  are 
living,  as  it  might  be,  in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  without  know- 
ing it ;  by  sufferance,  as  it  were,  the  water  being  so  much 
the  more  powerful,  and  the  largest.  But  there  is  no  end  to 
conceit  in  this  world,  for  a  fellow  who  never  saw  salt  water 
often  fancies  he  knows  more  than  one  who  has  gone  round 
the  Horn.  No,  no  ;  this  earth  is  pretty  much  an  island, 
and  all  that  can  be  truly  said  not  to  be  so,  is  water. ' ' 

Young  Western  had  a  profound  deference  for  a  mariner  of 
the  ocean,  on  which  he  had  often  pined  to  sail;  but  he  had,  also, 
a  natural  regard  for  the  broad  sheet  on  which  he  had  passed 
his  life,  and  which  was  not  without  its  beauties  in  his  eyes. 

"What  you  say,  sir,"  he  answered,  modestly,  "may  be 
true,  as  to  the  Atlantic  ;  but  we  have  a  respect  for  the  land 
up  here,  on  Ontario. ' ' 

"That  is  because  you  are  always  land-locked,"  returned 
Cap,  laughing  heartily.  ' '  But  yonder  is  the  Pathfinder, 
as  they  call  him,  with  some  smoking  platters,  inviting  us  to 
share  in  his  mess  ;  and  I  will  confess  that  one  gets  no  veni- 
son at  sea.  Master  Western,  civility  to  girls,  at  your  time 
of  life,  comes  as  easy  as  taking  in  the  slack  of  the  ensign 
halyards ;  and  if  you  will  just  keep  an  eye  to  her  kid  and 
can,  while  I  join  the  mess  of  the  Pathfinder  and  our  Indian 
friends,  I  make  no  doubt  she  will  remember  it. ' ' 

Master  Cap  uttered  more  than  he  was  aware  of  at  the  time. 
Jasper  Western  did  look  to  the  wants  of  Mabel,  and  she 
long  remembered  the  kind,  manly  attention  of  the  young  sailor, 
at  this  their  first  interview.  He  placed  the  end  of  a  log  for 
a  seat,  obtained  for  her  a  delicious  morsel  of  the  venison, 
gave  her  a  draught  of  pure  water  from  the  spring,  and,  as 
he  sat  near  and  opposite  to  her,  fast  won  his  way  to  her 
esteem  by  his  gentle  but  frank  manner  of  manifesting  his 
care;  homage  that  woman  always  wishes  to  receive,  but 
which  is  never  so  flattering,  or  so  agreeable,  as  when  it  comes 

2 


1 8  Ube 


from  the  young  to  those  of  their  own  age  ;  from  the  manly 
to  the  gentle.  Like  most  of  those  who  pass  their  time 
excluded  from  the  society  of  the  softer  sex,  young  Western 
was  earnest,  sincere,  and  kind  in  his  attentions,  which 
though  they  wanted  a  conventional  refinement  that  perhaps 
Mabel  never  missed,  had  those  winning  qualities  that  prove 
very  sufficient  as  substitutes.  Leaving  these  two  inexpe- 
ienced  and  unsophisticated  young  people  to  become  ac- 
quainted through  their  feelings,  rather  than  their  expressed 
thoughts,  we  will  turn  to  the  group  in  which  the  uncle, 
with  a  facility  for  taking  care  of  himself  that  never  deserted 
him,  had  already  become  a  principal  actor. 

The  party  had  taken  their  places  around  a  platter  of 
venison  steaks,  which  served  for  the  common  use,  and  the 
discourse  naturally  partook  of  the  characters  of  the  different 
individuals  that  composed  it.  The  Indians  were  silent  and 
industrious,  the  appetite  of  the  aboriginal  American  for 
venison  being  seemingly  inappeasable  ;  while  the  two  white 
men  were  communicative  and  discursive,  each  of  the  latter 
being  garrulous  and  opinionated  in  his  way.  But,  as  the 
dialogue  will  serve  to  put  the  reader  in  possession  of  certain 
facts  that  may  render  the  succeeding  narrative  more  clear,  it 
will  be  well  to  record  it. 

"There  must  be  satisfaction  in  this  life  of  yours,  no  doubt, 
Mr.  Pathfinder,"  continued  Cap,  when  the  hunger  of  the 
travellers  was  so  far  appeased  that  they  began  to  pick  and 
choose  among  the  savory  morsels  ;  "it  has  some  of  the 
chances  and  luck  that  we  seamen  like,  and  if  ours  is  all 
water,  yours  is  all  land. ' ' 

"Nay,  we  have  water,  too,  in  our  journey  ings  and 
marches,"  returned  his  white  companion  :  "  we  border-men 
handle  the  paddle  and  the  spear  almost  as  much  as  the  rifle 
and  the  hunting-knife." 

"Ay  ;  but  do  you  handle  the  brace  and  the  bow-line ;  the 
wheel  and  the  lead-line  ;  the  reef-point  and  the  top-rope  ? 
The  paddle  is  a  good  thing,  out  of  doubt,  in  a  canoe,  but  of 
what  use  is  it  in  the  ship  ? ' ' 

' '  Nay,  I  respect  all  men  in  their  callings,  and  I  can  believe 
the  things  you  mention  have  their  uses.  One  who  has 


Ube  jpatbfin&er  19 


lived,  like  myself,  in  company  with  many  tribes,  understands 
differences  in  usages.  The  paint  of  a  Mingo  is  not  the  paint 
of  a  Delaware  ;  and  he  who  should  expect  to  see  a  warrior 
in  the  dress  of  a  squaw,  might  be  disapp'inted.  I  'm  not  very 
old,  but  I  have  lived  in  the  woods,  and  have  some  acquaint- 
ance with  human  natur'.  I  never  believed  mucL.  in  the 
laming  of  them  that  dwell  in  towns,  for  I  never  yet  met  with 
one  that  had  an  eye  for  a  rifle  or  a  trail. ' ' 

"That  's  my  manner  of  reasoning,  Master  Pathfinder,  to 
a  yarn.  Walking  about  streets,  going  to  church  of  Sun- 
days, and  hearing  sermons,  never  yet  made  a  man  of  a  human 
being.  Send  the  boy  out  upon  the  broad  ocean,  if  you  wish 
to  open  his  eyes,  and  let  him  look  upon  foreign  nations,  or 
what  I  call  the  face  of  natur' ,  if  you  wish  him  to  understand 
his  own  character.  Now,  there  is  my  brother-in-law,  the 
sergeant ;  he  is  as  good  a  fellow  as  ever  broke  a  biscuit,  in 
his  own  way  ;  but  what  is  he,  after  all  ?  why,  nothing  but  a 
»oger.  A  sergeant,  to  be  sure,  but  that  is  a  sort  of  a  soger, 
you  know.  When  he  wished  to  marry  poor  Bridget,  my 
sister,  I  told  the  girl  what  he  was,  as  in  duty  bound,  and 
what  she  might  expect  from  such  a  husband  ;  but  you  know 
how  it  is  with  girls,  when  their  minds  are  jammed  by  an 
inclination.  It  is  true,  the  sergeant  has  risen  in  his  calling, 
and  they  say  he  is  an  important  man  at  the  fort ;  but  his  poor 
wife  has  not  lived  to  see  it  all,  for  she  has  now  been  dead 
these  fourteen  years. ' ' 

"A  soldier's  calling  is  an  honorable  calling,  provided  he 
has  fi't  only  on  the  side  of  right,"  returned  the  Pathfinder  : 
' '  and  as  the  Frenchers  are  always  wrong,  and  his  sacred 
majesty  and  these  colonies  are  always  right,  I  take  it  the 
sergeant  has  a  quiet  conscience,  as  well  as  a  good  character. 
I  have  never  slept  more  sweetly  than  when  I  have  fi't  the 
Mingos,  though  it  is  the  law  with  me  to  fight  always  like 
a  white  man,  and  never  like  an  Injin.  The  Sarpent,  here, 
has  his  fashions,  and  I  have  mine ;  yet  we  have  fou't  side 
by  side,  these  many  years,  without  cither's  thinking  a  hard 
thought  consarning  the  other's  ways.  I  tell  him  there  is 
but  one  heaven  and  one  hell,  notwithstanding  his  traditions, 
though  there  are  many  paths  to  both." 


20  Ube  patbftnfcer 


"That  is  rational,  and  he  is  bound  to  believe  you,  though 
I  fancy  most  of  the  roads  to  the  last  are  on  dry  land.  The 
sea  is  what  my  poor  sister,  Bridget,  used  to  call  a  '  purifying 
place,'  and  one  is  out  of  the  way  of  temptation  when  out  of 
sight  of  land.  I  doubt  if  as  much  can  be  said  in  favor  of 
your  lakes,  up  hereaway. ' ' 

"That  towns  and  settlements  lead  to  sin,  I  will  allow  ; 
but  our  lakes  are  bordered  by  the  forests,  and  one  is  every 
day  called  upon  to  worship  God  in  such  a  temple.  That 
men  are  not  always  the  same,  even  in  the  wilderness,  I 
must  admit,  for  the  difference  atween  a  Mingo  and  a  Dela- 
ware is  as  plain  to  be  seen  as  the  difference  atween  the  sun 
and  moon.  I  am  glad,  friend  Cap,  that  we  have  met,  how- 
ever, if  it  be  only  that  you  may  tell  the  Big  Sarpent,  here, 
that  there  be  lakes  in  which  the  water  is  salt.  We  have 
been  pretty  much  of  one  mind  since  our  acquaintance  began, 
and  if  the  Mohican  has  only  half  the  faith  in  me  that  I  have 
in  him,  he  believes  all  that  I  have  told  him,  touching  the 
white  men's  ways  and  natur's  laws ;  but  it  has  always 
seemed  to  me  that  none  of  the  redskins  have  given  as  free  a 
belief,  as  an  honest  man  likes,  to  the  accounts  of  the  Big 
Salt  Lakes,  and  to  that  of  there  being  rivers  that  flow  up 
stream. ' ' 

' '  This  comes  of  getting  things  wrong  end  foremost, ' ' 
answered  Cap,  with  a  condescending  nod.  ' '  You  have 
thought  of  your  lakes  and  rifts,  as  the  ship,  and  of  the  ocean 
and  the  tides,  as  the  boat.  Neither  Arrowhead  nor  the 
Serpent  need  doubt  what  you  have  said  concerning  both, 
though  I  confess,  myself,  to  some  difficulty  in  swallowing 
the  tale  about  there  being  inland  seas  at  all,  and  still  more 
that  there  is  any  sea  of  fresh  water.  I  have  come  this 
long  journey,  as  much  to  satisfy  my  own  eyes  and  palate 
concerning  these  facts,  as  to  oblige  the  sergeant  and  Mag- 
net ;  though  the  first  was  my  sister's  husband,  and  I  love 
the  last  like  a  child." 

' '  You  are  wrong — you  are  wrong,  friend  Cap  ;  very 
wrong,  to  distrust  the  power  of  God  in  anything, ' '  returned 
Pathfinder,  earnestly.  "  Them  that  live  in  the  settlements 
and  the  towns  get  to  have  confined  and  unjust  opinions  con- 


21 


sarning  the  might  of  His  hand  ;  but  we  who  pass  our  time 
in  His  very  presence,  as  it  might  be,  see  things  differently. 
I  mean  such  of  us  as  have  white  natur's.  A  redskin  has 
his  notions,  and  it  is  right  that  it  should  be  so  ;  and  if  they 
are  not  exactly  the  same  as  a  Christian  white  man's,  there  is 
no  harm  in  it.  Still,  there  are  matters  that  belong  alto- 
gether to  the  ordering  of  God's  providence,  and  these  salt 
and  fresh-water  lakes  are  some  of  them.  I  do  not  pretend 
to  account  for  these  things,  but  I  think  it  the  duty  of  all  to 
believe  in  them.  For  my  part,  I  am  one  of  them,  who  think 
that  the  same  hand  which  made  the  sweet  water,  can  make 
the  salt." 

"Hold  on  there,  Master  Pathfinder,"  interrupted  Cap, 
not  without  some  heat ;  "  in  the  way  of  a  proper  and  manly 
faith,  I  will  turn  my  back  on  no  one,  when  afloat.  Al- 
though more  accustomed  to  make  all  snug  aloft,  and  to 
show  the  proper  canvas,  than  to  pray,  when  the  hurricane 
comes,  I  know  that  we  are  but  helpless  mortals  at  times, 
and  I  hope  I  pay  reverence  where  reverence  is  due.  All  I 
mean  to  say,  and  that  is  rather  insiniated  than  said,  is  this, 
which  is,  as  you  all  know,  simply  an  intimation  that,  being 
accustomed  to  see  water  in  large  bodies  salt,  I  should  like 
to  taste  it,  before  I  can  believe  it  to  be  fresh. ' ' 

' '  God  has  given  the  salt  lick  to  the  deer,  and  He  has  given 
to  man,  redskin  and  white,  the  delicious  spring  at  which  to 
slake  his  thirst.  It  is  onreasonable  to  think  that  He  may 
not  have  given  lakes  of  pure  water  to  the  west,  and  lakes 
of  impure  water  to  the  east. ' ' 

Cap  was  awed,  in  spite  of  his  overweening  dogmatism, 
by  the  earnest  simplicity  of  the  Pathfinder,  though  he  did 
not  relish  the  idea  of  believing  a  fact  which,  for  many 
years,  he  had  pertinaciously  insisted  could  not  be  true. 
Unwilling  to  give  up  the  point,  and,  at  the  same  time,  un- 
able to  maintain  it  against  a  reasoning  to  which  he  was 
unaccustomed,  and  which  possessed  equally  the  force  of 
truth,  faith,  and  probability,  he  was  glad  to  get  rid  of  the 
subject  by  evasion. 

"  Well,  well,  friend  Pathfinder,"  he  said,  "we  will  nipper 
the  argument  where  it  is  ;  and,  as  the  sergeant  has  sent  you 


22  Ube  patbfin&er 

to  give  us  pilotage  to  this  same  lake,  we  can  only  try  the 
water  when  we  reach  it.  Only  mark  my  words :  I  do  not 
say  that  it  may  not  be  fresh  on  the  surface  ;  the  Atlantic  is 
sometimes  fresh  on  the  surface,  near  the  mouths  of  great 
rivers ;  but  rely  on  it,  I  shall  show  you  a  way  of  tasting  the 
water  many  fathoms  deep,  of  which  you  never  dreamed ;  and 
then  we  shall  know  more  about  it. ' ' 

The  guide  seemed  content  to  let  the  matter  rest,  and  the 
conversation  changed. 

"  We  are  not  overconsated  consarning  our  gifts,"  observed 
the  Pathfinder,  after  a  short  pause,  ' '  and  well  know  that 
such  as  live  in  the  towns,  and  near  the  sea — ' ' 

"  On  the  sea,"  interrupted  Cap. 

"  On  the  sea,  if  you  wish  it,  friend — have  opportunities 
that  do  not  befall  us  of  the  wilderness.  Still,  we  know  our 
own  callings,  and  they  are  what  I  consider  nat'ral  callings, 
and  are  not  parvarted  by  vanity  and  wantonness.  Now,  my 
gifts  are  with  the  rifle,  and  on  a  trail,  and  in  the  way  of 
game  and  scoutin'  ;  for,  though  I  can  use  the  spear  and  the 
paddle,  I  pride  not  myself  on  either.  The  youth,  Jasper, 
there,  who  is  discoursing  with  the  sergeant's  daughter,  is  a 
different  creatur' ,  for  he  may  be  said  to  breathe  the  water, 
as  it  might  be,  like  a  fish.  The  Indians  and  Frenchers  of 
the  north  shore  call  him  Eau-douce,  on  account  of  his  gifts 
in  this  particular.  He  is  better  at  the  oar,  and  the  rope  too, 
than  in  making  fires  on  a  trail." 

' '  There  must  be  something  about  these  gifts  of  which  you 
speak,  after  all,"  said  Cap.  "  Now  this  fire,  I  will  acknowl- 
edge, has  overlaid  all  my  seamanship.  Arrowhead,  there, 
said  the  smoke  came  from  a  pale-face's  fire,  and  that  is  a 
piece  of  philosophy  that  I  hold  to  be  equal  to  steering  in  a 
dark  night  by  the  edges  of  the  scud." 

"It's  no  great  secret — it's  no  great  secret,"  returned 
Pathfinder,  laughing  with  great  inward  glee,  though  habit- 
ual caution  prevented  the  emission  of  any  noise.  ' '  Nothing 
is  easier  to  us  who  pass  our  time  in  the  great  school  of 
Providence,  than  to  1'arn  its  lessons.  We  should  be  as 
useless  on  a  trail,  or  in  carrying  tidings  through  the  wilder- 
ness, as  so  many  woodchucks,  did  we  not  soon  come  to  a 


TTbe  ipatbffnfcer  23 


knowledge  of  these  niceties.  Eau-douce,  as  we  call  him,  is 
so  fond  of  the  water,  that  he  gathered  a  damp  stick  or  two 
for  our  fire,  and  there  be  plenty  of  them,  as  well  as  those 
that  are  thoroughly  dried,  lying  scattered  about ;  and  wet 
will  bring  dark  smoke,  as  I  suppose  even  you  followers  of 
the  sea  must  know.  It's  no  great  secret — it's  no  great 
secret ;  though  all  is  mystery  to  such  as  doesn't  study  the 
L,ord  and  his  mighty  ways  with  humility  and  thankfulness. ' ' 

"That  must  be  a  keen  eye  of  Arrowhead's  to  see  so  slight 
a  difference." 

"  He  would  be  but  a  poor  Injin  if  he  did  n't !  No,  no  ;  it 
is  war-time,  and  no  redskin  is  outlying  without  using  his 
senses.  Every  skin  has  its  own  natur' ,  and  every  natur'  has 
its  own  laws,  as  well  as  its  own  skin.  It  was  many  years 
afore  I  could  master  all  them  higher  branches  of  a  forest 
edication.  for  redskin  knowledge  doesn't  come  as  easy  to 
white-skin  natur'  as  what  I  suppose  is  intended  to  be  white- 
skin  knowledge ;  though  I  have  but  little  of  the  latter, 
having  passed  most  of  my  time  in  the  wilderness. ' ' 

"  You  have  been  a  ready  scholar,  Master  Pathfinder,  as  is 
seen  by  your  understanding  these  things  so  well.  I  suppose 
it  would  be  no  great  matter,  for  a  man  regularly  brought  up 
to  the  sea,  to  catch  these  trifles,  if  he  could  only  bring  his 
mind  fairly  to  bear  upon  them." 

"  I  don't  know  that.  The  white  man  has  his  difficulties 
in  getting  redskin  habits,  quite  as  much  as  the  Injin  in 
getting  white-skin  ways.  As  for  the  raal  natur',  it  is  my 
opinion  that  neither  can  actually  get  that  of  the  other." 

"And  yet  we  sailors,  who  run  about  the  world  so  much, 
say  there  is  but  one  nature,  whether  it  be  in  the  Chinaman 
or  a  Dutchman.  For  my  own  part,  I  am  much  of  that  way 
of  thinking  too  ;  for  I  have  generally  found  that  all  nations 
like  gold  and  silver,  and  most  men  relish  tobacco." 

"Then  you  seafaring  men  know  little  of  the  redskins. 
Have  you  ever  known  any  of  your  Chinamen  who  could 
sing  their  death-songs,  with  their  flesh  torn  with  splinters 
and  cut  with  knives,  the  fire  raging  around  their  naked  bod- 
ies, and  death  staring  them  in  the  face  ?  Until  you  can  find 
me  a  Chinaman,  or  a  Christian  man,  that  can  do  all  this, 


24  tlbe 


you  cannot  find  a  man  with  redskin  natur' ,  let  him  look 
ever 'so  valiant,  or  know  how  to  read  all  the  books  that  was 
ever  printed." 

"It  is  the  savages  only  that  play  each  other  such  hellish 
tricks  !  ' '  said  Master  Cap,  glancing  his  eyes  about  him  un- 
easily at  the  apparently  endless  arches  of  the  forest.  ' '  No 
white  man  is  ever  condemned  to  undergo  these  trials. ' ' 

"  Nay,  therein  you  are  ag'in  mistaken,"  returned  the  Path- 
finder, coolly  selecting  a  delicate  morsel  of  the  venison  as 
his  bonne  bouche ;  "for  though  these  torments  belong  only 
to  the  redskin  natur',  in  the  way  of  bearing  them  like 
braves,  white-skin  natur'  may  be,  and  often  has  been,  ago- 
nized by  them." 

"Happily,"  said  Cap,  with  an  effort  to  clear  his  throat, 
"none  of  his  majesty's  allies  will  be  likely  to  attempt  such 
damnable  cruelties,  on  any  of  his  majesty's  loyal  subjects. 
I  have  not  served  much  in  the  royal  navy,  it  is  true  ;  but 
I  have  served — and  that  is  something ;  and,  in  the  way  of 
privateering  and  worrying  the  enemy  in  his  ships  and  car- 
goes, I  've  done  my  full  share.  But  I  trust  there  are  no 
French  savages  on  this  side  the  lake,  and  I  think  you  said 
that  Ontario  is  a  broad  sheet  of  water  ?  ' ' 

"Nay,  it  is  broad  in  our  eyes,"  returned  Pathfinder,  not 
caring  to  conceal  the  smile  which  lighted  a  face  that  had 
been  burnt  by  exposure  to  a  bright  red,  "though  I  mistrust 
that  some  may  think  it  narrow ;  and  narrow  it  is,  if  you 
wish  it  to  keep  off  the  foe.  Ontario  has  two  ends,  and 
the  enemy  that  is  afraid  to  cross  it  will  be  sartain  to  come 
round  it. ' ' 

"Ah!  that  comes  of  your  d d  fresh- water  ponds!" 

growled  Cap,  hemming  so  loud  as  to  cause  him  instantly 
to  repent  the  indiscretion.  "  No  man,  now,  ever  heard  of 
a  pirate's  or  a  ship's  getting  round  one  end  of  the  Atlantic  !  " 

' '  Mayhap  the  ocean  has  no  ends  ?  ' ' 

"  That  it  hasn't ;  nor  sides,  nor  bottom.  The  nation  that 
is  snugly  moored  on  one  of  its  coasts  need  fear  nothing  from 
the  one  anchored  abeam,  let  it  be  ever  so  savage,  unless  it 
possesses  the  art  of  shipbuilding.  No,  no  ;  the  people  who 
live  on  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  need  fear  but  little  for 


25 


their  skins  or  their  scalps.  A  man  may  lie  down  at  night, 
in  those  regions,  in  the  hope  of  finding  the  hair  on  his  head 
in  the  morning,  unless  he  wears  a  wig." 

"It  isn't  so  here.  I  don't  wish  to  flurry  the  young 
woman,  and  therefore  I  will  be  no  way  particular,  though 
she  seems  pretty  much  listening  to  Bau-douce,  as  we  call 
him ;  but  without  the  edication  I  have  received,  I  should 
think  it,  at  this  very  moment,  a  risky  journey  to  go  over  the 
very  ground  that  lies  atween  us  and  the  garrison,  in  the 
present  state  of  this  frontier.  There  are  about  as  many 
Iroquois  on  this  side  of  Ontario  as  there  be  on  the  other. 
It  is  for  this  very  reason,  friend  Cap,  that  the  sergeant  has 
engaged  us  to  come  out  and  show  you  the  path." 

' '  What  !  do  the  knaves  dare  to  cruise  so  near  the  guns  of 
onejaf  his  majesty's  works  ? " 

/X?'I)o  not  the  ravens  resort  near  the  carcass  of  the  deer, 
[though  the  fowler  is  at  hand?  They  come  thisaway,  as  it 
Imight  be,  nat' rally.  /There  are  more  or  less  whites  passing 
Itween  the  forts  and  the  settlements,  and  they  are  sure  to  be 
on  their  trails.  The  Sarpent  has  come  up  on  one  side  of 
the  river,  and  I  have  come  up  the  other,  in  order  to  scout 
for  the  outlying  rascals,  while  Jasper  brought  up  the  canoe, 
like  a  bold-hearted  sailor,  as  he  is.  The  sergeant  told  him, 
with  tears  in  his  eyes,  all  about  his  child,  and  how  his  heart 
yearned  for  her,  and  how  gentle  and  obedient  she  was,  until  I 
think  the  lad  would  have  dashed  into  a  Mingo  camp,  single- 
handed,  rather  than  not  a-come." 

"We  thank  him,  we  thank  him;  and  shall  think  the 
better  of  him  for  his  readiness  ;  though  I  suppose  the  boy 
has  run  no  great  risk,  after  all." 

' '  Only  the  risk  of  being  shot  from  a  cover,  as  he  forced 
the  canoe  up  a  swift  rift,  or  turned  an  elbow  in  the  stream, 
with  his  eyes  fastened  on  the  eddies.  Of  all  the  risky 
journeys,  that  on  an  ambushed  river  is  the  most  risky,  in 
my  judgment,  and  that  risk  has  Jasper  run." 

' '  And  why  the  devil  has  the  sergeant  sent  for  me  to 
travel  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  this  outlandish  manner ! 
Give  me  an  offing,  and  the  enemy  in  sight,  and  I  '11  play 
with  him  in  his  own  fashion,  as  long  as  he  pleases,  longi 


«6  Ube  patbffn&er 


bowls  or  close  quarters ;  but  to  be  shot  like  a  turtle  asleep, 
is  not  to  my  humor.  If  it  were  not  for  little  Magnet  there, 
I  would  tack  ship  this  instant,  make  the  best  of  my  way 
back  to  York,  and  let  Ontario  take  care  of  itself,  salt  water 
or  fresh  water." 

"That  wouldn't  mend  the  matter  much,  friend  mariner, 
as  the  road  to  return  is  much  longer,  and  almost  as  bad  as 
the  road  to  go  on.  Trust  to  us,  and  we  will  carry  you 
through  safe,  or  lose  our  scalps." 

Cap  wore  a  tight,  solid  queue,  done  up  in  eel-skin,  while 
the  top  of  his  head  was  nearly  bald,  and  he  mechanically 
passed  his  hand  over  both,  as  if  to  make  certain  that  each 
was  in  its  right  place.  He  was  at  the  bottom,  however,  a 
brave  man,  and  had  often  faced  death  with  coolness,  though 
never  in  the  frightful  forms  in  which  it  presented  itself 
under  the  brief  but  graphic  pictures  of  his  companion.  It 
was  too  late  to  retreat ;  and  he  determined  to  put  the  best 
face  on  the  matter,  though  he  could  not  avoid  muttering 
inwardly  a  few  curses  on  the  indifference  and  indiscretion 
with  which  his  brother-in-law,  the  sergeant,  had  led  him 
into  his  present  dilemma. 

"I  make  no  doubt,  Master  Pathfinder,"  he  answered, 
when  these  thoughts  had  found  time  to  glance  through  his 
mind,  ' '  that  we  shall  reach  port  in  safety.  What  distance 
may  we  now  be  from  the  fort  ?  " 

"little  more  than  fifteen  miles;  and  swift  miles,  too,  as 
the  river  runs,  if  the  Mingos  let  us  go  clear." 

"And  I  suppose  the  woods  will  stretch  along,  starboard 
and  larboard,  as  heretofore?  " 

"Anan?" 

' '  I  mean  that  we  shall  have  to  pick  our  way  through 
these  damned  trees  ! ' ' 

"Nay,  nay;  you  will  go  in  the  canoe,  and  the  Oswego 
has  been  cleared  of  its  flood-wood  by  the  troops.  It  will  be 
floating  down  stream,  and  that,  too,  with  a  swift  current." 

"  And  what  the  devil  is  to  prevent  these  minks,  of  which 
you  speak,  from  shooting  us  as  we  double  a  headland,  or  are 
busy  in  steering  clear  of  the  rocks  ? ' ' 

' '  The  Lord !    He  who   has  so  often  helped  others  in 


Ube  patbfinber  27 


greater  difficulties.  Many  and  many  is  the  time  that  my 
head  would  have  been  stripped  of  hair,  skin  and  all,  hadn't 
the  Lord  fi't  of  my  side.  I  never  go  into  a  skrimmage, 
friend  mariner,  without  thinking  of  this  great  ally,  who  can 
do  more  in  battle  than  all  the  battalions  of  the  6oth,  were 
they  brought  into  a  single  line." 

1 '  Ay,  ay ;  this  may  do  well  enough  for  a  scouter ;  but 
we  seamen  like  our  offing,  and  to  go  into  action  with  noth- 
ing in  our  minds  but  the  business  before  us ;  plain  broad- 
side and  broadside  work,  and  no  trees  or  rocks  to  thicken 
the  water." 

"And  no  Lord,  too,  I  dare  to  say,  if  the  truth  was  known. 
Take  my  word  for  it,  Master  Cap,  that  no  battle  is  the 
worse  fou't  for  having  the  Lord  on  your  side.  Look  at  the 
head  of  the  Big  Sarpent,  there ;  you  can  see  the  mark  of  a 
knife  all  along  by  his  left  ear  ;  now,  nothing  but  a  bullet 
from  this  long  rifle  of  mine  saved  his  scalp  that  day,  for  it 
had  fairly  started,  and  half  a  minute  more  would  have  left 
him  without  the  warlock.  When  the  Mohican  squeezes  my 
hand,  and  intermates  that  I  befri'nded  him  in  that  matter, 
I  tell  him,  no ;  it  was  the  Lord,  who  led  me  to  the  only 
spot  where  execution  could  be  done,  or  his  necessity  be 
made  known,  on  account  of  the  smoke.  Sartain  when  I  got 
the  right  position,  I  finished  the  affair  of  my  own  accord, 
for  a  friend  under  the  tomahawk  is  apt  to  make  a  man 
think  quick,  and  act  at  once,  as  was  my  case,  or  the  Sar- 
pent's  spirit  would  be  hunting  in  the  happy  land  of  his 
people  at  this  very  moment." 

"Come,  come,  Pathfinder,  this  palaver  is  worse  than 
being  skinned  from  stem  to  stern  ;  we  have  but  a  few  hours 
of  sun,  and  had  better  be  drifting  down  this  said  current  of 
yours,  while  we  may.  Magnet,  dear,  are  you  not  ready  to 
get  under  way  ? ' ' 

Magnet  started,  blushed  brightly,  and  made  her  prepara- 
tions for  an  immediate  departure.  Not  a  syllable  of  the 
discourse  just  related  had  she  heard,  for  Eau-douce,  as 
young  Jasper  was  oftener  called  than  anything  else,  had 
been  filling  her  ears  with  a  description  of  the  yet  distant 
forts  towards  which  she  was  journeying,  with  accounts  of 


«s  tTbe  patbfinfcer 

her  father,  whom  she  had  not  seen  since  a  child,  and  with 
the  manner  of  life  of  those  who  lived  in  the  frontier  garri- 
sons. Unconsciously,  she  had  become  deeply  interested, 
and  her  thoughts  had  been  too  intently  directed  to  these 
interesting  matters,  to  allow  any  of  the  less  agreeable  sub- 
jects discussed  by  those  so  near  to  reach  her  ears.  The 
bustle  of  departure  put  an  end  to  the  conversation  entirely, 
and  the  baggage  of  the  scouts,  or  guides,  being  trifling,  in  a 
few  minutes  the  whole  party  was  ready  to  proceed.  As 
they  were  about  to  quit  the  spot,  however,  to  the  surprise 
of  even  his  fellow  guides,  Pathfinder  collected  a  quantity  of 
branches,  and  threw  them  upon  the  embers  of  the  fire,  tak- 
ing care  even  to  see  that  some  of  the  wood  was  damp,  in 
order  to  raise  as  dark  and  dense  a  smoke  as  possible. 

"When  you  can  hide  your  trail,  Jasper,"  he  said,  "a 
smoke  at  leaving  an  encampment  may  do  good,  instead  of 
harm.  If  there  are  a  dozen  Mingos  within  ten  miles  of  us, 
some  on  'em  are  on  the  heights,  or  in  the  trees,  looking  out 
for  smokes ;  let  them  see  this,  and  much  good  may  it  do 
them.  They  are  welcome  to  our  leavings. ' ' 

"But  may  they  not  strike,  and  follow  on  our  trail?" 
asked  the  youth,  whose  interest  in  the  hazard  of  his  situa- 
tion had  much  increased  since  the  meeting  with  Magnet. 
"We  shall  leave  a  broad  path  to  the  river." 

"The  broader  the  better;  when  there,  it  will  surpass 
Mingo  cunning  even  to  say  which  way  the  canoe  has  gone  ; 
up  stream  or  down.  Water  is  the  only  thing  in  natur'  that 
will  thoroughly  wash  out  a  trail,  and  even  water  will  not 
always  do  it,  when  the  scent  is  strong.  Do  you  not  see, 
Kau-douce,  that  if  any  Mingos  have  seen  our  path  below 
the  falls,  they  will  strike  off  towards  the  smoke,  and  that 
they  will  nat' rally  conclude  that  they  who  began  by  going 
up  stream,  will  end  by  going  up  stream  ?  If  they  know 
anything,  they  now  know  a  party  is  out  from  the  fort,  and 
it  will  exceed  even  Mingo  wit  to  fancy  that  we  have  come 
up  here,  just  for  the  pleasure  of  going  back  again,  and  that, 
too,  the  same  day,  and  at  the  risk  of  our  scalps." 

"Certainly,"  added  Jasper,  who  was  talking  apart  with 
the  Pathfinder,  as  they  moved  towards  the  wind-row,  "they 


Zlbe  patbfitt&er  29 


cannot  know  anything  about  the  sergeant's  daughter,  for 
the  greatest  secrecy  has  been  observed  on  her  account. 

"And  they  will  Tarn  nothing  here,"  returned  Pathfinder, 
causing  his  companion  to  see  that  he  trod  with  the  utmost 
care  on  the  impressions  left  on  the  leaves  by  the  little  foot  of 
Mabel,  "  unless  this  old  salt-water  fish  has  been  taking  his 
niece  about  in  the  wind- row,  like  a  fa'n  playing  by  the  side 
of  the  old  doe. ' ' 

' '  Buck,  you  mean,  Pathfinder. ' ' 

"  Isn't  he  a  queerity  ?  Now,  I  can  consort  with  such  a 
sailor  as  yourself,  Eau-douce,  and  find  nothing  very  contrary 
in  our  gifts,  though  yours  belong  to  the  lakes,  and  mine  to 
the  woods.  Harkee,  Jasper, ' '  continued  the  scout,  laughing 
in  his  noiseless  manner  ;  ' '  suppose  we  try  the  temper  of  his 
blade,  and  run  him  over  the  falls  ?  ' ' 

' '  And  what  would  be  done  with  the  pretty  niece  in  the 
meanwhile?  " 

"  Nay,  nay ;  no  harm  shall  come  to  her ;  she  must  walk 
round  the  portage,  at  any  rate  ;  but  you  and  I  can  try  this 
Atlantic  oceaner,  and  then  all  parties  will  become  better 
acquainted.  We  shall  find  out  whether  his  flint  will  strike 
fire,  and  he  may  come  to  know  something  of  frontier  tricks. ' ' 

Young  Jasper  smiled,  for  he  was  not  averse  to  fun, 
and  had  been  a  little  touched  by  Cap's  superciliousness  ;  but 
Mabel's  fair  face,  light  agile  form,  and  winning  smiles,  stood 
like  a  shield  between  her  uncle  and  the  intended  experiment. 

"Perhaps  the  sergeant's  daughter  will  be  frightened,"  he 
said. 

"Not  she,  if  she  has  any  of  the  sergeant's  spirit  in  her. 
She  doesn't  look  like  a  skeary  thing  at  all.  I^eave  it  to  me, 
Eau-douce,  and  I  will  manage  the  affair  alone." 

"  Not  you,  Pathfinder;  you  would  only  drown  both.  If 
the  canoe  goes  over,  I  must  go  in  it." 

"  Well,  have  it  so,  then ;  shall  we  smoke  the  pipe  of 
agreement  on  the  bargain  ?  ' ' 

Jasper  laughed,  nodded  his  head,  by  way  of  consent,  and 
the  subject  was  dropped,  for  the  party  had  reached  the  canoe, 
so  often  mentioned,  and  fewer  words  had  determined  much 
greater  things  between  the  parties. 


CHAPTER  III. 

"  Before  these  fields  were  shorn  and  tilled, 
Full  to  the  brim  our  rivers  flowed  ; 
The  melody  of  waters  filled 
The  fresh  and  boundless  wood  ; 
And  torrents  dashed,  and  rivulets  played, 
And  fountains  spouted  in  the  shade." 

BRYANT. 

IT  is  generally  known  that  the  waters  which  flow  into  the 
southern  side  of  Ontario  are,  in  general,  narrow,  slug- 
gish, and  deep.  There  are  some  exceptions  to  this 
rule,  for  many  of  the  rivers  have  rapids,  or,  as  they 
are  termed  in  the  language  of  the  region,  rifts,  and  some 
have  falls.  Among  the  latter  was  the  particular  stream  on 
which  our  adventurers  were  now  journeying.  The  Oswego 
is  formed  by  the  junction  of  the  Oneida  and  Onondaga,  both 
of  which  flow  from  lakes  ;  and  it  pursues  its  way,  through  a 
gentle  undulating  country,  a  few  miles,  until  it  reaches  the 
margin  of  a  sort  of  natural  terrace,  down  which  it  tumbles 
some  ten  or  fifteen  feet,  to  another  level,  across  which  it 
glides,  or  glances,  or  pursues  its  course  with  the  silent, 
stealthy  progress  of  deep  water,  until  it  throws  its  tribute 
into  the  broad  receptacle  of  Ontario.  The  canoe  in  which 
Cap  and  his  party  had  travelled  from  Fort  Stanwix,  the  last 
military  station  on  the  Mohawk,  lay  by  the  side  of  this 
river,  and  into  it  the  whole  party  now  entered,  with  the 
exception  of  Pathfinder,  who  remained  on  the  land,  in  order 
to  shove  the  light  vessel  off. 

' '  L,et  her  starn  drift  down  stream,  Jasper, ' '  said  the  man 
of  the  woods  to  the  young  mariner  of  the  lake,  who  had  dis- 
possessed Arrowhead  of  his  paddle,  and  taken  his  own 


TTbe  patbffn&er  31 


station  as  steersman ;  "let  it  go  down  with  the  current. 
Should  any  of  them  infarnals,  the  Mingos,  strike  our  trail,  or 
follow  it  to  this  point,  they  will  not  fail  to  look  for  the  signs 
in  the  mud,  and  if  they  discover  that  we  have  left  the  shore 
with  the  nose  of  the  canoe  up  stream,  it  is  a  natural  belief  to 
think  we  went  thataway." 

This  direction  was  followed  ;  and,  giving  a  vigorous  shove, 
the  Pathfinder,  who  was  in  the  flower  of  his  strength  and 
activity,  made  a  leap,  landing  lightly,  and  without  disturbing 
its  equilibrium,  in  the  bow  of  the  canoe.  As  soon  as  it  had 
reached  the  centre  of  the  river,  or  the  strength  of  the  current, 
the  boat  was  turned,  and  it  began  to  glide  noiselessly  down 
the  stream. 

The  vessel  in  which  Cap  and  his  niece  had  embarked  for 
their  long  and  adventurous  journey,  was  of  the  canoes  of 
bark  which  the  Indians  are  in  the  habit  of  constructing,  and 
which,  by  their  exceeding  lightness  and  the  ease  with 
which  they  are  propelled,  are  admirably  adapted  to  a  navi- 
gation in  which  shoals,  flood-wood,  and  other  similar  ob- 
structions so  often  occur.  The  two  men  who  composed  its 
original  crew  had  several  times  carried  it,  when  emptied  of 
its  luggage,  many  hundred  yards ;  and  it  would  not  have 
exceeded  the  strength  of  a  single  man  to  lift  its  weight.  Still 
it  was  long,  and,  for  a  canoe,  wide,  a  want  of  steadiness 
being  its  principal  defect  in  the  eyes  of  the  uninitiated. 
A  few  hours'  practice,  however,  in  a  great  measure  remedied 
this  evil,  and  both  Mabel  and  her  uncle  had  learned  so  far 
to  humor  its  movements,  that  they  now  maintained  their 
places  with  perfect  composure ;  nor  did  the  additional 
weight  of  the  three  guides  tax  its  powers  in  any  particular 
degree,  the  breadth  of  the  rounded  bottom  allowing  the 
necessary  quantity  of  water  to  be  displaced,  without  bring- 
ing the  gunwale  very  sensibly  nearer  to  the  surface  of  the 
stream.  Its  workmanship  was  neat  ;  the  timbers  were 
small,  and  secured  by  thongs  ;  and  the  whole  fabric,  though 
it  was  so  slight  and  precarious  to  the  eye,  was  probably 
capable  of  conveying  double  the  number  of  persons  that  it 
now  contained. 

Cap  was  seated  on   a  low  thwart,  in  the  centre  of  the 


32  Ube  ]p>atbfint>er 


canoe  ;  the  Big  Serpent  knelt  near  him.  Arrowhead  and  his 
wife  occupied  places  forward  of  both,  the  former  having 
relinquished  his  post  aft.  Mabel  was  half  reclining  on  some 
of  her  own  effects,  behind  her  uncle,  while  the  Pathfinder  and 
Eau-douce  stood  erect,  the  one  in  the  bow  and  the  other 
in  the  stern,  each  using  a  paddle,  with  a  long,  steady, 
noiseless  sweep.  The  conversation  was  carried  on  in  low 
tones,  all  the  party  beginning  to  feel  the  necessity  of  pru- 
dence, as  they  drew  nearer  to  the  outskirts  of  the  fort,  and 
had  no  longer  the  cover  of  the  woods. 

The  Oswego,  just  at  that  place,  was  a  deep,  dark  stream, 
of  no  great  width,  its  still,  gloomy-looking  current  winding 
its  way  among  overhanging  trees,  that,  in  particular  spots, 
almost  shut  out  the  light  of  the  heavens.  Here  and  there 
some  half-fallen  giant  of  the  forest  lay  nearly  across  its  sur- 
face, rendering  care  necessary  to  avoid  the  limbs  ;  and  most 
of  the  distance,  the  lower  branches  and  leaves  of  the  trees 
of  smaller  growth  were  laved  by  its  waters.  The  picture 
which  has  been  so  beautifully  described  by  our  own  admi- 
rable poet,  and  which  we  have  placed  at  the  head  of  this 
chapter,  as  an  epigraph,  was  here  realized  ;  the  earth  fat- 
tened by  the  decayed  vegetation  of  centuries,  and  black 
with  loam,  the  stream  that  filled  the  banks  nearly  to  over- 
flowing, and  the  ' '  fresh  and  boundless  wood, ' '  being  all  as 
visible  to  the  eye,  as  the  pen  of  Bryant  has  elsewhere  vividly 
presented  them  to  the  imagination.  In  short,  the  entire 
scene  was  one  of  a  rich  and  benevolent  nature,  before  it  has 
been  subjected  to  the  uses  and  desires  of  man ;  luxuriant, 
full  of  wild  promise,  and  not  without  the  charm  of  the 
picturesque,  even  in  its  rudest  state.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  this  was  in  the  year  175-,  or  long  before  even  specula- 
tion had  brought  any  portion  of  western  New  York  within 
the  bounds  of  civilization,  or  the  projects  of  the  adventurous. 
At  that  distant  day,  there  were  two  great  channels  of  military 
communication  between  the  inhabited  portion  of  the  colony 
of  New  York,  and  the  frontiers  that  lay  adjacent  to  the 
Canadas :  that  by  Lakes  Champlain  and  George,  and  that 
by  means  of  the  Mohawk,  Wood  Creek,  the  Oneida,  and 
the  rivers  we  have  been  describing.  Along  both  these 


patbfinber  33 


lines  of  communication  military  posts  had  been  established, 
though  there  existed  a  blank  space  of  a  hundred  miles 
between  the  last  fort  at  the  head  of  the  Mohawk,  and  the 
outlet  of  the  Oswego,  which  embraced  most  of  the  distance 
that  Cap  and  Mabel  had  journeyed  under  the  protection 
of  Arrowhead. 

' '  I  sometimes  wish  for  peace  again, ' '  said  the  Pathfinder, 
"  when  one  can  range  the  forest  without  s' arching  for  any 
other  enemy  than  the  beasts  and  fishes.  Ah  's  me  !  many 
is  the  day  that  the  Sarpent,  there,  and  I  have  passed  hap- 
pily among  the  streams,  living  on  venison,  salmon,  and  trout, 
without  thought  of  a  Mingo  or  a  scalp  !  I  sometimes  wish 
that  them  blessed  days  might  come  back,  for  it  is  not  my 
raal  gift  to  slay  my  own  kind.  I  'm  sartain  the  sergeant's 
daughter  don't  think  me  a  wretch  that  takes  pleasure  in 
preying  on  human  natur'  ?  " 

At  this  remark,  a  sort  of  half  interrogatory,  Pathfinder 
looked  behind  him;  and,  though  the  most  partial  friend 
could  scarcely  term  his  sunburnt  and  hard  features  hand- 
some, even  Mabel  thought  his  smile  attractive,  by  its  simple 
ingenuousness,  and  the  uprightness  that  beamed  in  every 
lineament  of  his  honest  countenance. 

"  I  do  not  think  my  father  would  have  sent  one  like  those 
you  mention,  to  see  his  daughter  through  the  wilderness," 
the  young  woman  answered,  returning  the  smile  as  frankly 
as  it  was  given,  and  much  more  sweetly. 

"That  he  wouldn't,  that  he  would  n't ;  the  sergeant  is  a 
man  of  feelin',  and  many  is  the  march  and  the  fight  that  we 
have  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  in,  as  he  would  call  it  ; 
though  I  always  keep  my  limbs  free,  when  near  a  Frencher 
or  a  Mingo." 

' '  You  are  then  the  young  friend  of  whom  my  father  has 
spoken  so  often  in  his  letters  ?  ' ' 

' '  His  young  friend — the  sergeant  has  the  advantage  of 
me  by  thirty  years ;  yes,  he  is  thirty  years  my  senior,  and 
as  many  my  better." 

' '  Not  in  the  eyes  of  the  daughter,  perhaps,  friend  Path- 
finder," put  in  Cap,  whose  spirits  began  to  revive  when 
he  found  the  water  once  more  flowing  around  him.  "The 


34  TEbe  fcatbfinfcer 


thirty  years  that  you  mention  are  not  often  thought  to  be 
an  advantage  in  the  eyes  of  girls  of  nineteen. ' ' 

Mabel  colored,  and  in  turning  aside  her  face,  to  avoid  the 
looks  of  those  in  the  bow  of  the  canoe,  she  encountered 
the  admiring  gaze  of  the  young  man  in  the  stern.  As  a 
last  resource  her  spirited,  but  soft  blue  eyes,  sought  refuge 
in  the  water.  Just  at  this  moment  a  dull  heavy  sound 
swept  up  the  avenue  formed  by  the  trees,  borne  along  by  a 
light  air  that  hardly  produced  a  ripple  on  the  water. 

' '  That  sounds  pleasantly, ' '  said  Cap,  pricking  up  his  ears 
like  a  dog  that  hears  a  distant  baying  ;  "it  is  the  surf  on 
the  shores  of  your  lake,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"Not  so — not  so,"  answered  the  Pathfinder;  "it  is 
merely  this  river  tumbling  over  some  rocks,  half  a  mile 
below  us." 

' '  Is  there  a  fall  in  the  stream  ? ' '  demanded  Mabel,  a  still 
brighter  flush  glowing  in  her  face. 

"The  devil!  Master  Pathfinder,  or  you,  Mr.  Oh-the- 
Deuce," — for  so  Cap  began  to  style  Jasper,  by  way  of  enter- 
ing cordially  into  the  border  usages, — "  had  you  not  better 
give  the  canoe  a  sheer,  and  get  nearer  to  the  shore  ?  These 
water-falls  have  generally  rapids  above  them,  and  one  might 
as  well  get  into  the  Maelstrom  at  once  as  to  run  into  their 
suction." 

"Trust  to  us — trust  to  us,  friend  Cap,"  answered  Path- 
finder; "we  are  but  fresh- water  sailors,  it  is  true,  and  I 
cannot  boast  of  being  much,  even  of  that ;  but  we  understand 
rifts,  and  rapids,  and  cataracts  ;  and  in  going  down  these, 
we  shall  do  our  endeavors  not  to  disgrace  our  edication. ' ' 

"  In  going  down  !  "  exclaimed  Cap  ;  "the  devil,  man  ! 
you  do  not  dream  of  going  down  a  water-fall  in  this  egg- 
shell of  bark  ! " 

' '  Sartain ;  the  path  lies  over  the  falls,  and  it  is  much 
easier  to  shoot  them  than  to  unload  the  canoe,  and  to  carry 
that,  and  all  it  contains,  around  a  portage  of  a  mile,  by 
hand." 

Mabel  turned  her  pallid  countenance  towards  the  young 
man  in  the  stern  of  the  canoe,  for  just  at  that  moment  a 
fresh  roar  of  the  fall  was  borne  to  her  ears,  by  a  new  current 


Ube  patbfinfcer  35 


of  the  air,  and  it  really  sounded  terrific,  now  that  the  cause 
was  understood. 

' '  We  thought  that  by  landing  the  females  and  the  two 
Indians,"  Jasper  quietly  observed,  "we  three  white  men, 
all  of  whom  are  used  to  the  water,  might  carry  the  canoe 
over  in  safety,  for  we  often  shoot  these  falls. ' ' 

"  And  we  counted  on  you,  friend  mariner,  as  a  main- 
stay," said  Pathfinder,  winking  at  Jasper  over  his  shoulder, 
' '  for  you  are  accustomed  to  see  waves  tumbling  about,  anc| 
without  some  one  to  steady  the  cargo,  all  the  finery  of  the 
sergeant's  daughter  might  be  washed  into  the  river,  and  be 
lost." 

Cap  was  puzzled.  The  idea  of  going  over  a  water-fall 
was  perhaps  more  serious,  in  his  eyes,  than  it  would  have 
been  in  those  of  one  totally  ignorant  of  all  that  pertained  to 
boats  ;  for  he  understood  the  power  of  the  element,  and  the 
total  feebleness  of  man  when  exposed  to  its  fury.  Still,  his 
pride  revolted  at  the  thought  of  deserting  the  boat,  while 
others  not  only  courageously,  but  coolly,  proposed  to  con- 
tinue in  it.  Notwithstanding  the  latter  feeling,  and  his 
innate  as  well  as  acquired  steadiness  in  danger,  he  would 
probably  have  deserted  his  post,  had  not  the  images  of 
Indians  tearing  scalps  from  the  human  head  taken  so  strong 
hold  of  his  fancy,  as  to  induce  him  to  imagine  the  canoe  a 
sort  of  sanctuary. 

"What  is  to  be  done  with  Magnet?"  he  demanded, 
affection  for  his  niece  raising  another  qualm  in  his  con- 
science. "We  cannot  allow  Magnet  to  land,  if  there  are 
enemy's  Indians  near?  " 

' '  Nay  ;  no  Mingo  will  be  near  the  portage,  for  what  is  a 
spot  too  public  for  their  deviltries, ' '  answered  the  Pathfinder, 
confidently.  "  Natur'  is  natur',  and  it  is  an  Injin's  natur' 
to  be  found  where  he  is  least  expected.  No  fear  of  him  on 
a  beaten  path,  for  he  wishes  to  come  upon  you  when  unpre- 
pared to  meet  him,  and  the  fiery  villains  make  it  a  point 
to  deceive  you,  one  way  or  another.  Sheer  in,  Kau-douce  ; 
we  will  land  the  sergeant's  daughter  on  the  end  of  that  log, 
where  she  can  reach  the  shore  with  a  dry  foot." 

The  injunction  was   obeyed,  and  in  a   few  minutes   the 


36  ftbe  patbfin&er 


whole  party  had  left  the  canoe,  with  the  exception  of  Path- 
finder and  the  two  sailors.  Notwithstanding  his  professional 
pride,  Cap  would  have  gladly  followed,  but  he  did  not  like 
to  exhibit  so  unequivocal  a  weakness  in  the  presence  of  a 
fresh-water  sailor. 

"I  call  all  hands  to  witness,"  he  said,  as  those  who  had 
landed  moved  away,  "that  I  do  not  look  on  this  affair  as 
anything  more  than  canoeing  in  the  woods.  There  is  no 
seamanship  in  tumbling  over  a  water- fall,  which  is  a  feat  the 
greatest  lubber  can  perform  as  well  as  the  oldest  mariner. ' ' 

"Nay,  nay;  you  needn't  despise  the  Oswego  Falls, 
neither,"  put  in  Pathfinder,  "for  though  they  may  not  be 
Niagara,  nor  the  Genesee,  nor  the  Cahoos,  nor  Glenn's,  nor 
them  on  the  Canada,  they  are  narvpus  enough  for  a  new 
beginner.  Let  the  sergeant's  daughter  stand  on  yonder 
rock,  and  she  will  see  the  manner  in  which  we  ignorant 
backwoodsmen  get  over  a  difficulty  that  we  can't  get  under. 
Now,  Bau-douce,  a  steady  hand  and  a  true  eye,  for  all  rests 
on  you,  seeing  that  we  can  count  Master  Cap  for  no  more 
than  a  passenger." 

The  canoe  was  leaving  the  shore,  as  he  concluded,  while 
Mabel  went  hurriedly  and  trembling  to  the  rock  that  had 
been  pointed  out,  talking  to  her  companion  of  the  danger 
her  uncle  so  unnecessarily  ran,  while  her  eyes  were  riveted  on 
the  agile  and  vigorous  form  of  Kau-douce,  as  he  stood  erect 
in  the  stern  of  the  light  boat,  governing  its  movements.  As 
soon,  however,  as  she  reached  a  point  where  she  got  a  view 
of  the  fall,  she  gave  an  involuntary  but  suppressed  scream, 
and  covered  her  eyes.  At  the  next  instant,  the  latter  were 
again  free,  and  the  entranced  girl  stood  immovable  as  a 
statue,  a  scarcely  breathing  observer  of  all  that  passed.  The 
two  Indians  seated  themselves  passively  on  a  log,  hardly 
looking  towards  the  stream,  while  the  wife  of  Arrowhead 
came  near  Mabel,  and  appeared  to  watch  the  motions  of  the 
canoe  with  some  such  interest  as  a  child  regards  the  leaps 
of  a  tumbler. 

As  soon  as  the  boat  was  in  the  stream,  Pathfinder  sank 
on  his  knees,  continuing  to  use  the  paddle,  though  it  was 
slowly,  and  in  a  manner  not  to  interfere  with  the  efforts  of 


Ube  jpatbfinfcer  37 


his  companion.  The  latter  still  stood  erect,  and,  as  he  kept 
his  eye  on  some  object  beyond  the  fall,  it  was  evident  that  he 
was  carefully  looking  for  the  spot  proper  for  their  passage. 

' '  Farther  west,  boy  ;  farther  west, ' '  muttered  Pathfinder  ; 
"there  where  you  see  the  water  foam.  Bring  the  top  of  the 
dead  oak  in  a  line  with  the  stem  of  the  blasted  hemlock." 

Eau-douce  made  no  answer,  for  the  canoe  was  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  stream,  with  its  head  pointed  towards  the  fall,  and 
it  had  already  begun  to  quicken  its  motion,  by  the  increased 
force  of  the  current.  At  that  moment  Cap  would  cheerfully 
have  renounced  every  claim  to  glory  that  could  possibly  be 
acquired  by  the  feat,  to  have  been  safe  again  on  shore.  He 
heard  the  roar  of  the  water,  thundering  as  it  might  be,  be- 
hind a  screen,  but  becoming  more  and  more  distinct,  louder 
and  louder  ;  and  before  him  he  saw  its  line  cutting  the  for- 
est below,  along  which  the  green  and  angry  element  seemed 
stretched  and  shining,  as  if  the  particles  were  about  to  lose 
their  principle  of  cohesion. 

"  Down  with  your  helm — down  with  your  helm,  man  !  " 
he  exclaimed,  unable  any  longer  to  suppress  his  anxiety,  as 
the  canoe  glided  towards  the  edge  of  the  fall. 

"  Ay,  ay  ;  down  it  is,  sure  enough,"  answered  Pathfinder, 
looking  behind  him  for  a  single  instant,  with  his  silent,  joy- 
ous laugh  ;  ' '  down  we  go,  of  a  sartainty  !  Heave  her  starn 
up,  boy  ;  farther  up  with  her  starn  !  " 

The  rest  was  like  the  passage  of  the  viewless  wind.  Eau- 
douce  gave  the  required  sweep  with  his  paddle,  the  canoe 
glanced  into  the  channel,  and  for  a  few  seconds  it  seemed  to 
Cap  that  he  was  tossing  in  a  caldron.  He  felt  the  bow  of 
the  canoe  tip,  saw  the  raging,  foaming  water,  careering 
madly  by  his  side,  was  sensible  that  the  light  fabric  in  which 
he  floated  was  tossed  about  like  an  egg-shell,  and  then,  not 
less  to  his  great  joy  than  to  his  surprise,  he  discovered  that 
it  was  gliding  across  the  basin  of  still  water,  below  the  fall, 
under  the  steady  impulse  of  Jasper's  paddle. 

The  Pathfinder  continued  to  laugh,  but  he  arose  from  his 
knees,  and,  searching  for  a  tin  pot  and  a  horn  spoon,  he  be- 
gan deliberately  to  measure  the  water  that  had  been  taken 
in  in  the  passage. 


38  Ube  patbfint>er 


"Fourteen  spoonfuls,  Eau-douce  ;  fourteen  fairly  meas- 
ured spoonfuls.  I  have,  you  must  acknowledge,  known  you 
to  go  down  with  only  ten." 

' '  Master  Cap  leaned  so  hard  up  stream, ' '  returned  Jasper, 
seriously,  "that  I  had  difficulty  in  trimming  the  canoe." 

' '  It  may  be  so — it  may  be  so  ;  no  doubt  it  was  so,  since 
you  say  it ;  but  I  have  known  you  go  over  with  only  ten." 

Cap  now  gave  a  tremendous  hem,  felt  for  his  queue,  as  if 
to  ascertain  its  safety,  and  then  looked  back,  in  order  to 
examine  the  danger  he  had  gone  through.  His  impunity  is 
easily  explained.  Most  of  the  river  fell  perpendicularly  ten 
or  twelve  feet ;  but  near  its  centre,  the  force  of  the  current 
had  so  far  worn  away  the  rock,  as  to  permit  the  water  to 
shoot  through  a  narrow  passage,  at  an  angle  of  about  forty 
or  forty-five  degrees.  Down  this  ticklish  descent  the  canoe 
had  glanced,  amid  fragments  of  broken  rock,  whirlpools, 
foam,  and  furious  tossings  of  the  element,  which  an  unin- 
structed  eye  would  believe  menaced  inevitable  destruction 
to  an  object  so  fragile.  But  the  very  lightness  of  the  canoe 
favored  it  descent ;  for,  borne  on  the  crests  of  the  waves, 
and  directed  by  a  steady  eye  and  an  arm  full  of  muscle,  it 
had  passed  like  a  feather  from  one  pile  of  foam  to  another, 
scarcely  permitting  its  glossy  side  to  be  wetted.  There 
were  a  few  rocks  to  be  avoided  ;  the  proper  direction  was 
to  be  rigidly  observed,  and  the  fierce  current  did  the  rest. 1 

To  say  that  Cap  was  astonished,  would  not  be  expressing 
half  his  feelings.  He  felt  awed,  for  the  profound  dread  of 
rocks,  which  most  seamen  entertain,  came  in  aid  of  his 
admiration  of  the  boldness  of  the  exploit.  Still  he  was 
indisposed  to  express  all  he  felt,  lest  it  might  be  conceding 
too  much  in  favor  of  fresh  water,  and  inland  navigation  ; 
and  no  sooner  had  he  cleared  his  throat  with  the  aforesaid 
hem,  than  he  loosened  his  tongue  in  the  usual  strain  of 
superiority. 

"  I  do  not  gainsay  your  knowledge  of  the  channel,  Master 
Oh-the-Deuce, " — for  such  he  religiously  believed  to  be 

1  Lest  the  reader  suppose  we  are  dealing  purely  in  fiction,  the 
writer  will  add  that  he  has  known  a  long  thirty-two  pounder  carried 
over  these  same  falls  in  perfect  safety. 


patbffnfcer  39 


Jasper's  sobriquet, — "  and,  after  all,  to  know  the  channel  in 
such  a  place  is  the  main  point.  I  have  had  coxswains  with 
me  who  could  come  down  that  shoot  too,  if  they  only  knew 
the  channel." 

"It  is  n't  enough  to  know  the  channel,  friend  mariner, " 
said  Pathfinder;  "it  needs  narves  and  skill  to  keep  the 
canoe  straight  and  to  keep  her  clear  of  the  rocks,  too. 
There  is  n't  another  boatman  in  all  this  region  that  can  shoot 
the  Oswego,  but  Eau-douce,  there,  with  any  sartainty  ; 
though,  now  and  then,  one  has  blundered  through.  I  can't 
do  it  myself,  unless  by  means  of  Providence,  and  it  needs 
Jasper's  hand  and  Jasper's  eye  to  make  sure  of  a  dry  pas- 
sage. Fourteen  spoonfuls,  after  all,  are  no  great  matter, 
though  I  wish  it  had  been  but  ten,  seeing  that  the  sergeant's 
daughter  was  a  looker-on. ' ' 

' '  And  yet  you  conned  the  canoe  ;  you  told  him  how  to 
head  and  how  to  sheer." 

' '  Human  frailty,  master  mariner  ;  that  was  a  little  of 
white-skin  natur' .  Now,  had  the  Sarpent,  yonder,  been  in 
the  boat,  not  a  word  would  he  have  spoken,  or  thought 
would  he  have  given  to  the  public.  An  Injin  knows  how 
to  hold  his  tongue  ;  but  we  white  folk  fancy  we  are  always 
wiser  than  our  fellows.  I  'm  curing  myself  fast  of  the  weak- 
ness, but  it  needs  time  to  root  up  the  tree  that  has  been 
growing  more  than  thirty  years." 

"  I  think  little  of  this  affair,  sir  ;  nothing  at  all,  to  speak 
my  mind  freely.  It 's  a  mere  wash  of  spray  to  shooting 
London  Bridge,  which  is  done  every  day  by  hundreds  of 
persons,  and  often  by  the  most  delicate  ladies  in  the  land. 
The  king's  majesty  has  shot  the  bridge  in  his  royal  person." 

"  Well,  I  want  no  delicate  ladies  or  king's  majesties  (God 
bless  'em)  in  the  canoe,  in  going  over  these  falls  ;  for  a 
boat's  breadth,  either  way,  may  make  a  drowning  matter  of  it. 
Eau-douce,  we  shall  have  to  carry  the  sergeant's  brother  over 
Niagara  yet,  to  show  him  what  may  be  done  on  a  frontier  ! ' ' 

"The  devil!  Master  Pathfinder,  you  must  be  joking, 
now  !  Surely  it  is  not  possible  for  a  bark  canoe  to  go  over 
that  mighty  cataract  ! ' ' 

"You  never  were  more  mistaken,  Master  Cap,  in  your 


40  Ube  fcatbffnfcer 


life.  Nothing  is  easier,  and  many  is  the  canoe  I  have  seen 
go  over  it,  with  my  own  eyes,  and,  if  we  both  live,  I  hope 
to  satisfy  you  that  the  feat  can  be  done.  For  my  part,  I 
think  the  largest  ship  that  ever  sailed  on  the  ocean  might 
be  carried  over,  could  she  once  get  into  the  rapids. ' ' 

Cap  did  not  perceive  the  wink  which  Pathfinder  ex- 
changed with  Bau-douce,  and  he  remained  silent  for  some 
time ;  for,  sooth  to  say,  he  had  never  suspected  the  possi- 
bility of  going  down  Niagara,  feasible  as  the  thing  must 
appear  to  every  one,  on  a  second  thought,  the  real  difficulty 
existing  in  going  up  it. 

By  this  time,  the  party  had  reached  the  place  where 
jasper  had  left  his  own  canoe  concealed  in  the  bushes,  and 
they  all  re-embarked ;  Cap,  Jasper,  and  his  niece  in  one 
boat,  and  Pathfinder,  Arrowhead,  and  the  wife  of  the  latter, 
in  the  other.  The  Mohican  had  already  passed  down  the 
banks  of  the  river  by  land,  looking  cautiously  and  with  the 
skill  of  his  people,  for  the  signs  of  an  enemy. 

The  cheek  of  Mabel  did  not  recover  all  its  bloom,  until 
the  canoe  was  again  in  the  current,  down  which  it  floated 
swiftly,  occasionally  impelled  by  the  paddle  of  Jasper.  She 
witnessed  the  descent  of  the  falls  with  a  degree  of  terror 
that  had  rendered  her  mute,  but  her  fright  had  not  been 
so  great  as  to  prevent  admiration  of  the  steadiness  of  the 
youth  who  directed  the  movement,  from  blending  with  the 
passing  terror.  In  truth,  one  much  less  quick  and  sensitive 
might  have  had  her  feelings  awakened  by  the  cool  and 
gallant  air  with  which  Eau-douce  had  accomplished  this 
clever  exploit.  He  had  stood  firmly  erect,  notwithstanding 
the  plunge ;  and  to  those  who  were  on  the  shore,  it  was 
evident  that  by  a  timely  application  of  his  skill  and  strength, 
the  canoe  had  received  a  sheer  that  alone  carried  it  clear  of 
a  rock,  over  which  the  boiling  water  was  leaping  in  jets 
d'eau, — now  leaving  the  brown  stone  visible,  and  now 
covering  it  with  a  limpid  sheet,  as  if  machinery  controlled 
the  play  of  the  element.  The  tongue  cannot  always  express 
what  the  eyes  view,  but  Mabel  saw  enough,  even  in  that 
moment  of  fear,  to  blend  forever  in  her  mind,  the  pictures 
presented  by  the  plunging  canoe,  and  the  unmoved  steers- 


jpatbfinfcer  41 


man.  She  admitted  that  insidious  sentiment,  which  binds 
woman  so  strongly  to  man,  by  feeling  additional  security  in 
finding  herself  under  his  care ;  and  for  the  first  time  since 
leaving  Fort  Stanwix,  she  was  entirely  at  her  ease  in  the 
frail  bark  in  which  she  travelled.  As  the  other  canoe  kept 
quite  near  her  own,  however,  and  the  Pathfinder,  by  float- 
ing at  her  side,  was  most  in  view,  the  conversation  was 
principally  maintained  with  that  person;  Jasper  seldom 
speaking  unless  addressed,  and  constantly  exhibiting  a  wari- 
ness in  the  management  of  his  own  boat,  that  might  have 
been  remarked  by  one  accustomed  to  his  ordinary  confident, 
careless  manner,  had  such  an  observer  been  present  to  note 
what  was  passing. 

"  We  know  too  well  a  woman's  gifts,  to  think  of  carrying 
the  sergeant's  daughter  over  the  falls,"  said  Pathfinder, 
looking  at  Mabel,  while  he  addressed  her  uncle;  "though 
I  've  been  acquainted  with  some  of  her  sex,  in  them  regions, 
that  would  think  but  little  of  doing  the  thing. ' ' 

' '  Mabel  is  faint-hearted,  like  her  mother, ' '  returned  Cap, 
'and  you  did  well,  friend,  to  humor  her  weakness.  You 
will  remember  the  child  has  never  been  at  sea." 

"No,  no;  it  was  easy  to  discover  that,  by  your  own 
fearlessness  ;  any  one  might  have  seen  how  little  you  cared 
about  the  matter  !  I  went  over  once  with  a  raw  hand,  and 
he  jumped  out  of  the  canoe,  just  as  it  tipped,  and  you  may 
judge  what  a  time  he  had  of  it  !  " 

' '  What  became  of  the  poor  fellow  ?  ' '  asked  Cap,  scarce 
knowing  how  to  take  the  other's  manner,  which  was  so  dry, 
while  it  was  so  simple,  that  a  less  obtuse  subject  than  the 
old  sailor  might  well  have  suspected  its  sincerity.  "One 
who  has  passed  the  place  knows  how  to  feel  for  him. ' ' 

"He  was  a  poor  fellow,  as  you  say  ;  and  a  poor  frontier- 
man,  too,  though  he  came  out  to  show  his  skill  among  us 
ignoranters.  What  became  of  him  ?  Why,  he  went  down 
the  falls  topsy-turvy  like,  as  would  have  happened  to  a 
court-house  or  a  fort. ' ' 

"If  it  should  jump  out  of  a  canoe,"  interrupted  Jasper, 
smiling,  though  he  was  evidently  more  disposed  than  his 
friend  to  let  the  passage  of  the  falls  be  forgotten. 


42  Ube  patbfinfcer 


"The  boy  is  right,"  rejoined  Pathfinder,  laughing  in 
Mabel's  face,  the  canoes  being  now  so  near  that  they  almost 
touched ;  "  he  is  sartainly  right.  But  you  have  not  told  us 
what  you  think  of  the  leap  we  took  ?  ' ' 

"  It  was  perilous  and  bold,"  said  Mabel ;  "while  looking 
at  it,  I  could  have  wished  that  it  had  not  been  attempted, 
though,  now  it  is  over,  I  can  admire  its  boldness,  and  the 
steadiness  with  which  it  was  made. ' ' 

"  Now,  do  not  think  that  we  did  this  thing,  to  set  our- 
selves off  in  female  eyes.  It  may  be  pleasant  to  the  young 
to  win  each  other's  good  opinions,  by  doing  things  that  may 
seem  praiseworthy  and  bold ;  but  neither  Eau-douce  nor 
myself  is  of  that  race.  My  natur',  though  perhaps  the  Sar- 
pent  would  be  a  better  witness,  has  few  turns  in  it,  and  is 
a  straight  natur'  ;  nor  would  it  be  likely  to  lead  me  into  a 
vanity  of  this  sort,  while  out  on  duty.  As  for  Jasper,  he 
would  sooner  go  over  the  Oswego  Falls  without  a  looker-on, 
than  .do  it  before  a  hundred  pair  of  eyes.  I  know  the  lad 
well,  from  use  and  much  consorting,  and  I  am  sure  he  is 
not  boastful  nor  vain-glorious." 

Mabel  rewarded  the  scout  with  a  smile  that  served  to 
keep  the  canoes  together  for  some  time  longer,  for  the  sight 
of  youth  and  beauty  was  so  rare  on  that  remote  frontier, 
that  even  the  rebuked  and  self-mortified  feelings  of  this 
wanderer  of  the  forest  were  sensibly  touched  by  the  bloom- 
ing loveliness  of  the  girl. 

"  We  did  it  for  the  best,"  Pathfinder  continued  ;  "  'twas 
all  for  the  best.  Had  we  waited  to  carry  the  canoe  across 
the  portage,  time  would  have  been  lost,  and  nothing  is  so 
precious  as  time,  when  you  are  distrustful  of  Mingos. ' ' 

"  But  we  can  have  little  to  fear,  now  !  The  canoes  move 
swiftly,  and  two  hours,  you  have  said,  will  carry  us  down 
to  the  fort." 

"  It  shall  be  a  cunning  Iroquois  who  hurts  a  hair  of  your 
head,  pretty  one,  for  all  here  are  bound  to  the  sergeant,  and 
most,  I  think,  to  yourself,  to  see  you  safe  from  harm.  Ha  ! 
Eau-douce  ;  what  is  that  in  the  river,  at  the  lower  turn, 
yonder,  beneath  the  bushes, — I  mean  standing  on  the 
rock?" 


jpatbfinfcer 


43 


"  'Tis  the  Big  Serpent,  Pathfinder ;  he  is  making  signs  to 
us,  in  a  way  I  don't  understand." 

"  'Tis  the  Sarpent,  as  sure  as  I'm  a  white  man,  and  he 
wishes  us  to  drop  in  nearer  to  his  shore.  Mischief  is 
brewin',  or  one  of  his  deliberation  and  steadiness  would 
never  take  this  trouble.  Courage,  all !  we  are  men,  and 
must  meet  deviltry  as  becomes  our  color  and  our  callings. 
Ah  !  I  never  knew  good  come  of  boastin'  ;  and  here,  just 
as  I  was  vauntin'  of  our  safety,  comes  danger  to  give  me 
the  lie." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

"  Art,  stryving  to  compare 
With  nature,  did  an  arber  greene  dispred, 
Framed  of  wanton  yvie  flowing  fayre, 
Through  which  the  fragrant  elgantines  did  spred." 

SPENSER. 

THE  Oswego,  below  the  falls,  is  a  more  rapid,  unequal 
stream  than  it  is  above  them.     There  are  places 
where  the  river  flows  in  the  quiet  stillness  of  deep 
water,  but  many  shoals  and  rapids  occur ;  and,  at 
that  distant  day,  when  everything  was  in  its  natural  state, 
some  of  the  passes  were  not  altogether  without  hazard.     Very 
little  exertion  was  required  on  the  part  of  those  who  man- 
aged the  canoes,  except  in  those  places  where  the  swiftness 
of  the  current  and  the  presence  of  the  rocks  required  care  ; 
when,  indeed,  not  only  vigilance,  but  great  coolness,  readi- 
ness and  strength  of  arm  became  necessary,  in  order  to  avoid 
the  dangers.     Of  all  this  the  Mohican  was  aware,  and  he  had 
judiciously  selected  a  spot  where  the  river  flowed  tranquilly, 
to  intercept  the  canoes,  in  order  to  make  his  communication 
without  hazard  to  those  he  wished  to  speak. 

The  Pathfinder  had  no  sooner  recognized  the  form  of  his 
red  friend,  than,  with  a  strong  sweep  of  his  paddle,  he  threw 
the  head  of  his  own  canoe  towards  the  shore,  motioning  for 
Jasper  to  follow.  In  a  minute  both  boats  were  silently  drift- 
ing down  the  stream,  within  reach  of  the  bushes  that  over- 
hung the  water,  all  observing  a  profound  silence  ;  some  from 
alarm,  and  others  from  habitual  caution.  As  the  travellers 
drew  nearer  the  Indian,  he  made  a  sign  for  them  to  stop  ; 
when  he  and  Pathfinder  had  a  short  but  earnest  conference, 
in  the  language  of  the  Delawares. 
44 


patbfin&er  45 


"The  chief  is  not  apt  to  see  enemies  in  a  dead  log,"  ob- 
served the  white  man,  to  his  red  associate  ;  "why  does  he 
tell  us  to  stop  ? ' ' 

' '  Mingos  are  in  the  woods. ' ' 

"  That  we  have  believed  these  two  days  :  does  the  chief 
know  it  ?  " 

The  Mohican  quietly  held  up  the  head  of  a  pipe,  formed 
of  stone. 

' '  It  lay  on  a  fresh  trail  that  led  towards  the  garrison  ; ' ' 
for  so  it  was  the  usage  of  that  frontier  to  term  a  military 
work,  whether  it  was  occupied  or  not. 

' '  That  may  be  the  bowl  of  a  pipe  belonging  to  a  soldier. 
Many  use  the  redskin  pipes. ' ' 

' '  See, ' '  said  the  Big  Serpent,  again  holding  the  thing  he 
had  found  up  to  the  view  of  his  friend. 

The  bowl  of  the  pipe  was  of  soap-stone,  and  it  had  been 
carved  with  great  care,  and  with  a  very  respectable  degree 
:>f  skill.  In  its  centre  was  a  small  Latin  cross,  made  with  an 
accuracy  that  permitted  no  doubt  of  its  meaning. 

' '  That  does  foretell  deviltry  and  wickedness, ' '  said  the 
Pathfinder,  who  had  all  the  provincial  horror  of  the  holy 
symbol  in  question  that  then  pervaded  the  country,  and  which 
became  so  incorporated  with  its  prejudices,  by  confounding 
men  with  things,  as  to  have  left  its  traces  strong  enough  on 
the  moral  feeling  of  the  community,  to  be  discovered  even 
at  the  present  hour  ;  "no  Injin  who  had  not  been  parvarted 
by  the  cunning  priests  of  the  Canadas  would  dream  of  carv- 
ing a  thing  like  that  on  his  pipe  !  I  '11  warrant  ye,  the 
knave  prays  to  the  image  every  time  he  wishes  to  sarcum- 
vent  the  innocent,  and  work  his  fearful  wickedness.  It 
looks  fresh,  too,  Chingachgook  ?  " 

"  The  tobacco  was  burning  when  I  found  it." 

' '  That  is  close  work,  chief ;  where  was  the  trail  ?  ' ' 

The  Mohican  pointed  to  a  spot  not  a  hundred  yards  dis- 
tant from  that  where  they  stood. 

The  matter  now  began  to  look  very  serious,  and  the  two 
principal  guides  conferred  apart  for  several  minutes,  when 
both  ascended  the  bank,  approached  the  indicated  spot,  and 
examined  the  trail  with  the  utmost  care.  After  this  investi- 


46  Ube  patbffnfcer 


gation  had  lasted  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  the  white  man  re- 
turned alone,  his  red  friend  having  disappeared  in  the  forest. 

The  ordinary  expression  of  the  countenance  of  the  Path- 
finder was  that  of  simplicity,  integrity,  and  sincerity  blended 
in  an  air  of  self-reliance,  that  usually  gave  great  confidence 
to  those  who  found  themselves  under  his  care  ;  but  now  a 
look  of  concern  cast  a  shade  over  his  honest  face,  that  struck 
the  whole  party. 

"What  cheer,  Master  Pathfinder ?"  demanded  Cap,  per- 
mitting a  voice  that  was  usually  deep,  loud,  and  confident,  to 
sink  into  the  cautious  tones  that  better  suited  the  dangers 
of  the  wilderness ;  ' '  has  the  enemy  got  between  us  and  our 
port?  " 

"Anan?" 

' '  Have  any  of  these  painted  scaramouches  anchored  off 
the  harbor  towards  which  we  are  running,  with  the  hope  of 
cutting  us  off  in  entering  ?  " 

"  It  may  be  all  as  you  say,  friend  Cap,  but  I  am  none 
the  wiser  for  your  words ;  and,  in  ticklish  times,  the  plainer 
a  man  makes  his  English,  the  easier  he  is  understood.  I 
know  nothing  of  ports  and  anchors,  but  there  is  a  direful 
Mingo  trail  within  a  hundred  yards  of  this  spot,  and  as  fresh 
as  venison  without  salt.  If  one  of  the  fiery  devils  has 
passed,  so  have  a  dozen ;  and  what  is  worse,  they  have 
gone  down  towards  the  garrison,  and  not  a  soul  crosses  the 
clearing  around  it  that  some  of  their  piercing  eyes  will  not 
discover,  when  sartain  bullets  will  follow." 

"  Cannot  this  said  fort  deliver  a  broadside,  and  clear  every- 
thing within  the  sweep  of  its  hawse  ? ' ' 

"  Nay,  the  forts  thisaway  are  not  like  forts  in  the  settle- 
ments, and  two  or  three  light  cannon  are  all  they  have  down 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river ;  and  then,  broadsides  fired  at  a 
dozen  outlying  Mingos,  lying  behind  logs,  and  in  a  forest, 
would  be  powder  spent  in  vain.  We  have  but  one  course,  and 
that  is  a  very  nice  one.  We  are  judgmatically  placed  here, 
both  canoes  being  hid  by  the  high  bank  and  the  bushes] 
from  all  eyes  except  them  of  any  lurker  directly  opposite! 
Here,  then,  we  may  stay,  without  much  present  fear ;  but 
how  to  get  the  blood-thirsty  devils  up  the  stream  again  ? 


tlbe  ipatbfin&er  47 


Ha  !  I  have  it — I  have  it.  If  it  does  no  good,  it  can  do  no 
harm.  Do  you  see  the  wide-top  chestnut,  here,  Jasper,  at  the 
last  turn  in  the  river?  On  our  own  side  of  the  stream,  I 
mean." 

' '  That  near  the  fallen  pine  ? ' ' 

"The  very  same.  Take  the  flint  and  tinder-box,  creep 
along  the  bank,  and  light  a  fire  at  that  spot ;  maybe  the 
smoke  will  draw  them  above  us.  In  the  meanwhile,  we  will 
drop  the  canoes  carefully  down  beyond  the  point  below,  and 
find  another  shelter.  Bushes  are  plenty,  and  covers  are  easy 
to  be  had  in  this  region,  as  witness  the  many  ambishments. " 

' '  I  will  do  it,  Pathfinder, ' '  said  Jasper,  springing  *o  the 
shore.  ' '  In  ten  minutes  the  fire  shall  be  lighted. ' ' 

' '  And,  Eau-douce,  use  plenty  of  damp  wood  this  time, ' ' 
half  whispered  the  other,  laughing  heartily,  in  his  own 
peculiar  manner ;  ' '  when  smoke  is  wanted,  water  helps  to 
thicken  it." 

The  young  man,  who  too  well  understood  his  duty  to 
delay  unnecessarily,  was  soon  off,  making  his  way  rapidly 
towards  the  desired  point.  A  slight  attempt  of  Mabel  to 
object  to  the  risk  was  disregarded,  and  the  party  immedi- 
ately prepared  to  change  its  position,  as  it  could  be  seen 
from  the  place  where  Jasper  intended  to  light  his  fire.  The 
movement  did  not  require  haste,  and  it  was  made  leisurel}', 
and  with  care.  The  canoes  were  got  clear  of  the  bushes, 
then  suffered  to  drop  down  with  the  stream,  until  they 
reached  the  spot  where  the  chestnut,  at  the  foot  of  which 
Jasper  was  to  light  the  fire,  was  almost  shut  out  from  view, 
when  they  stopped,  and  every  eye  was  turned  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  adventurer. 

"There  goes  the  smoke  !  "  exclaimed  the  Pathfinder,  as 
a  current  of  air  whirled  a  little  column  of  the  vapor  from 
the  land,  allowing  it  to  rise  spirally  above  the  bed  of  the 
river.  "A  good  flint,  a  small  bit  of  steel,  and  plenty  of 
dry  leaves,  make  a  quick  fire  !  I  hope  Eau-douce  will  have 
the  wit  to  bethink  him  of  the  damp  wood,  now,  when  it 
may  sarve  us  all  a  good  turn." 

"Too  much  smoke — too  much  cunning,"  said  Arrow- 
head, sententiously. 


4s  Ube  patbfinfcer 


"That  is  gospel  truth,  Tuscarora,  if  the  Mingos  didn't 
know  that  they  are  near  soldiers  ;  but  soldiers  commonl}' 
think  more  of  their  dinner,  at  a  halt,  than  of  their  wisdom 
and  danger.  No,  no;  let  the  boy  pile  on  his  logs,  and 
smoke  them  well,  too  ;  it  will  all  be  laid  to  the  stupidity  of 
some  Scotch  or  Irish  blunderer,  who  is  thinking  more  of  his 
oatmeal  or  his  potatoes  than  of  Injin  sarcumventions  or 
Injin  rifles." 

"  And  yet  I  should  think,  from  all  we  have  heard  in  the 
towns,  that  the  soldiers  on  this  frontier  are  used  to  the 
artifices  of  their  enemies,"  said  Mabel;  "and  have  got  to 
be  almost  as  wily  as  the  redmen  themselves. ' ' 

"Not  they — not  they.  Exper'ence  makes  them  but 
little  wiser ;  and  they  wheel,  and  platoon,  and  battalion 
it  about,  here  in  the  forest,  just  as  they  did  in  their  parks  at 
home,  of  which  they  are  all  so  fond  of  talking.  One  red- 
skin has  more  cunning  in  his  natur'  than  a  whole  rijiment 
from  the  other  side  of  the  water — that  is,  what  I  call 
cunning  of  the  woods.  But  there  is  smoke  enough,  of  all 
conscience,  and  we  had  better  drop  into  another  cover. 
This  lad  has  thrown  the  river  on  his  fire,  and  there  is 
danger  that  the  Mingos  will  believe  a  whole  rijiment  is 
out." 

While  speaking,  the  Pathfinder  permitted  his  canoe  to 
drift  away  from  the  bush  by  which  it  had  been  retained, 
and  in  a  couple  of  minutes  the  bend  in  the  river  concealed 
the  smoke  and  the  tree.  Fortunately  a  small  indentation  in 
the  shore  presented  itself  within  a  few  yards  of  the  point 
they  had  just  passed;  and  the  two  canoes  glided  into  it, 
under  the  impulsion  of  the  paddles. 

A  better  spot  could  not  have  been  found  for  the  purpose 
of  the  travellers,  than  the  one  they  now  occupied.  The 
bushes  were  thick,  and  overhung  the  water,  forming  a  com- 
plete canopy  of  leaves.  There  was  a  small  gravelly  strand 
at  the  bottom  of  the  little  bay,  where  most  of  the  party 
landed  to  be  more  at  their  ease,  and  the  only  position  from 
which  they  could  possibly  be  seen,  was  a  point  on  the  river 
directly  opposite.  There  was  little  danger,  however,  of 
discovery  from  that  quarter,  as  the  thicket  there  was  even 


jpatbffnfcer  49 


denser  than  common,  and  the  land  beyond  it  was  so  wet 
and  marshy,  as  to  render  it  difficult  to  be  trodden. 

' '  This  is  a  safe  cover, ' '  said  the  Pathfinder,  after  he  had 
taken  a  scrutinizing  survey  of  his  position  ;  ' '  but  it  may  be 
necessary  to  make  it  safer.  Master  Cap,  I  ask  nothing  of 
you  but  silence,  and  a  quieting  of  such  gifts  as  you  may 
have  got  at  sea,  while  the  Tuscarora  and  I  make  provision 
for  the  evil  hour." 

The  guide  then  went  a  short  distance  into  the  bushes, 
accompanied  by  the  Indian,  where  the  two  cut  off  the  large 
stems  of  several  alders  and  other  bushes,  using  the  utmost 
care  not  to  make  a  noise.  The  ends  of  these  little  trees, 
for  such  in  fact  they  were,  were  forced  into  the  mud,  outside 
of  the  canoes,  the  depth  of  water  being  very  trifling ;  and  in 
the  course  of  ten  minutes  a  very  effectual  screen  was  inter- 
posed between  them  and  the  principal  point  of  danger. 
Much  ingenuity  and  readiness  were  manifested  in  making 
this  simple  arrangement,  in  which  the  two  workmen  were 
essentially  favored  by  the  natural  formation  of  the  bank,  the 
indentation  in  the  shore,  the  shallowness  of  the  water,  and 
the  manner  in  which  the  tangled  bushes  dipped  into  the 
stream.  The  Pathfinder  had  the  address  to  look  for  bushes 
that  had  curved  stems,  things  easily  found  in  such  a  place  ; 
and  by  cutting  them  some  distance  beneath  the  bend,  and 
permitting  the  latter  to  touch  the  water,  the  artificial  little 
thicket  had  not  the  appearance  of  growing  in  the  stream, 
which  might  have  excited  suspicion ;  but  one  passing  it 
would  have  thought  that  the  bushes  shot  out  horizontally 
from  the  bank  before  they  inclined  upwards  towards  the 
light.  In  short,  the  shelter  was  so  cunningly  devised,  and 
so  artfully  prepared,  that  none  but  an  unusually  distrustful 
eye  would  have  been  turned  for  an  instant  towards  the  spot, 
in  quest  of  a  hiding-place. 

"This  is  the  best  cover  I  ever  yet  got  into,"  said  the 
Pathfinder,  with  his  quiet  laugh,  after  having  been  on  the 
outside  to  reconnoitre  ;  "  the  leaves  of  our  new  trees  fairly 
touch  the  bushes  over  our  heads,  and  even  the  painter  who 
has  been  in  the  garrison  of  late,  could  not  tell  which  belong 
to  Providence  and  which  are  our'n.  Hist !  yonder  conies 


5o  Ube  jp>atbffnt>er 

Eau-douce,  wading,  like  a  sensible  boy  as  he  is,  to  leave  his 
trail  in  the  water  ;  and  we  shall  soon  see  whether  our  cover 
is  good  for  anything  or  not." 

Jasper  had,  indeed,  returned  from  his  duty  above,  and 
missing  the  canoes,  he  at  once  inferred  that  they  had  dropped 
round  the  next  bend  in  the  river,  in  order  to  get  out  of  sight 
of  the  fire.  His  habits  of  caution  immediately  suggested 
the  expediency  of  stepping  into  the  water,  in  order  that 
there  might  exist  no  visible  communication  between  the 
marks  left  on  the  shore,  by  the  party,  and  the  place  where 
he  believed  them  to  have  taken  refuge  below.  Should  the 
Canadian  Indians  return  on  their  own  trail,  and  discover 
that  made  by  the  Pathfinder  and  the  Serpent,  in  their  ascent 
from,  and  descent  to,  the  river,  the  clue  to  their  movements 
would  cease  at  the  shore,  water  leaving  no  prints  of  foot- 
steps. The  young  man  had  therefore  waded,  knee-deep,  as 
far  as  the  point,  and  was  now  seen  making  his  way  slowly 
down  the  margin  of  the  stream,  searching  curiously  for  the 
spot  in  which  the  canoes  were  hid. 

It  was  in  the  power  of  those  behind  the  bushes,  by  plac- 
ing their  eyes  near  the  leaves,  to  find  many  places  to  look 
through,  while  one  at  a  little  distance  lost  this  advantage ; 
or,  even  did  his  sight  happen  to  fall  on  some  small  opening, 
the  bank  and  the  shadows  beyond  prevented  him  from  de- 
tecting forms  and  outlines  of  sufficient  dimensions  to  expose 
the  fugitives.  It  was  evident  to  those  who  watched  his 
motions  from  behind  their  cover,  and  they  were  all  in  the 
canoes,  that  Jasper  was  totally  at  a  loss  to  imagine  where  the 
Pathfinder  had  secreted  himself.  When  fairly  round  the  curva- 
ture in  the  shore,  and  out  of  sight  of  the  fire  he  had  lighted 
above,  the  young  man  stopped,  and  began  examining  the  bank 
deliberately  and  with  great  care.  Occasionally  he  advanced 
eight  or  ten  paces,  and  then  halted  again,  to  renew  the  search. 
The  water  being  much  shoaler  than  common,  he  stepped  aside, 
in  order  to  walk  with  greater  ease  to  himself,  and  came  so 
near  the  artificial  plantation,  that  he  might  have  touched  it 
with  his  hand.  Still  he  detected  nothing  and  was  actually 
passing  the  spot,  when  Pathfinder  made  an  opening  beneath 
the  branches,  and  called  to  him,  in  a  low  voice,  to  enter. 


jpatbfinfcer  51 


' '  This  is  pretty  well, ' '  said  the  Pathfinder,  laughing  ; 
"though  pale-face  eyes  and  redskin  eyes  are  as  different  as 
human  spy-glasses.  I  would  wager  with  the  sergeant's 
daughter,  here,  a  horn  of  powder  ag'in  a  wampum  belt  for 
her  girdle,  that  her  father's  rijiment  should  march  by  this 
ambushment  of  our'n,  and  never  find  out  the  fraud  !  But, 
if  the  Mingos  actilly  get  down  into  the  bed  of  the  river, 
where  Jasper  passed,  I  should  tremble  for  the  plantation.  It 
will  do  for  their  eyes  even,  across  the  stream,  howsever,  and 
will  not  be  without  its  use." 

"Don't  you  think,  Master  Pathfinder,  that  it  would  be 
wisest  after  all,"  said  Cap,  "  to  get  under  way  at  once,  and 
carry  sail  hard  down  stream,  as  soon  as  we  are  satisfied 
these  rascals  are  fairly  astern  of  us?  We  seamen  call  a 
stern  chase  a  long  chase." 

"  I  wouldn't  move  from  this  spot  until  we  hear  from  the 
Sarpent,  with  the  sergeant's  pretty  daughter,  here,  in  our 
company,  for  all  the  powder  in  the  magazine  of  the  fort 
below  !  Sartain  captivity  or  sartain  death  would  follow. 
If  a  tender  fa'n,  such  as  the  maiden  we  have  in  charge, 
could  thread  the  forest  like  old  deer,  it  might,  indeed,  do  to 
quit  the  canoes,  for  by  making  a  circuit  we  could  reach  the 
garrison  before  morning. ' ' 

"Then  let  it  be  done,"  said  Mabel,  springing  to  her  feet, 
under  the  sudden  impulse  of  awakened  energjr.  ' '  I  am 
young,  active,  used  to  exercise,  and  could  easily  outwalk 
my  dear  uncle.  Let  no  one  think  me  a  hindrance.  I 
cannot  bear  that  all  your  lives  should  be  exposed  on  my 
account. ' ' 

"  No,  no,  pretty  one ;  we  think  you  anything  but  a  hin- 
drance, or  anything  that  is  onbecoming,  and  would  willingly 
run  twice  this  risk  to  do  you  and  the  honest  sergeant  a 
service.  Do  I  not  speak  your  mind,  Eau-douce  ? ' ' 

"To  do  her  a  service  ! ' '  said  Jasper,  with  emphasis. 
"  Nothing  shall  tempt  me  to  desert  Mabel  Dunham,  until 
she  is  safe  in  her  father's  arms." 

' '  Well  said,  lad ;  bravely  and  honestly  said,  too ;  and  I 
join  in  it,  heart  and  hand.  No,  no  ;  you  are  not  the  first  of 
your  sex  I  have  led  through  the  wilderness,  and  never  but 


5  2  ITbe  jpatbffnfcer 


once  did  any  harm  befall  any  of  them ;  that  was  a  sad  day, 
sartainly  ;  but  its  like  may  never  come  again  ! 

Mabel  looked  from  one  of  her  protectors  to  the  other,  and 
her  fine  eyes  swam  in  tears.  Frankly  placing  a  hand  in 
that  of  each,  she  answered  them,  though  at  first  her  voice 
was  choked, — 

' '  I  have  no  right  to  expose  you  on  my  account.  My 
dear  father  will  thank  you — I  thank  you — God  will  re- 
ward you ;  but  let  there  be  no  unnecessary  risk.  I  can 
walk  far,  and  have  often  gone  miles,  on  some  girlish  fancy  ; 
why  not  now  exert  myself  for  my  life — nay,  for  your 
precious  lives  ? ' ' 

' '  She  is  a  true  dove,  Jasper, ' '  said  the  Pathfinder,  neither 
relinquishing  the  hand  he  held  until  the  girl  herself,  in 
native  modesty,  saw  fit  to  withdraw  it,  "and  wonderfully 
winning !  We  get  to  be  rough,  and  sometimes  even  hard- 
hearted, in  the  woods,  Mabel ;  but  the  sight  of  one  like  you 
brings  us  back  ag'in  to  our  young  feelin's,  and  does  us  good 
for  the  remainder  of  our  days.  I  dare  say  Jasper,  here, 
will  tell  you  the  same  ;  for,  like  me  in  the  forest,  the  lad 
sees  but  few  such  as  yourself,  on  Ontario,  to  soften  his 
heart,  and  remind  him  of  love  for  his  kind.  Speak  out, 
now,  Jasper,  and  say  if  it  is  not  so." 

' '  I  question  if  many  like  Mabel  Dunham  are  to  be  found 
anywhere,"  returned  the  young  man,  gallantly,  an  honest 
sincerity  glowing  in  his  face,  that  spoke  more  eloquently 
than  his  tongue ;  ' '  you  need  not  mention  woods  and  lakes 
to  challenge  her  equals,  but  I  would  go  into  the  settlements 
and  towns." 

"We  had  better  leave  the  canoes,"  Mabel  hurriedly 
rejoined  ;  "  for  I  feel  it  is  no  longer  safe  to  be  here." 

"You  can  never  do  it — you  can  never  do  it.  It  would 
be  a  march  of  more  than  twenty  miles,  and  that  too  of 
tramping  over  brush  and  roots,  and  through  swamps,  in  the 
dark  ;  the  trail  of  such  a  party  would  be  wide,  and  we 
might  have  to  fight  our  way  into  the  garrison,  a'ter  all. 
We  will  wait  for  the  Mohican. ' ' 

Such  appearing  to  be  the  decision  of  him  to  whom  all, 
in  their  present, strait,  looked  up  for  counsel,  no  more  was 


Ube  patbfinfcer  53 


said  on  the  subject.  The  whole  party  now  broke  up  into 
groups ;  Arrowhead  and  his  wife  sitting  apart  under  the 
bushes,  conversing  in  a  low  tone,  though  the  man  spoke 
sternly,  and  the  woman  answered  with  the  subdued  mild- 
nesS  that  marks  the  degraded  condition  of  a  savage's  wife. 
Pathfinder  and  Cap  occupied  one  canoe,  chatting  of  their 
different  adventures  by  sea  and  land,  while  Jasper  and 
Mabel  sat  in  the  other,  making  greater  progress  in  intimacy 
in  a  single  hour,  than  might  have  been  effected  under  other 
circumstances  in  a  twelvemonth.  Notwithstanding  their 
situation  as  regards  the  enemy,  the  time  flew  by  swiftly, 
and  the  young  people  in  particular  were  astonished  when 
Cap  informed  them  how  long  they  had  been  thus  occupied. 

' '  If  one  could  smoke,  Master  Pathfinder, ' '  observed  the 
old  sailor,  ' '  this  berth  would  be  snug  enough  ;  for,  to  give 
the  devil  his  due,  you  have  got  the  canoes  handsomely  land- 
locked, and  into  moorings  that  would  defy  a  monsoon.  The 
only  hardship  is  the  denial  of  the  pipe. ' ' 

' '  The  scent  of  the  tobacco  would  betray  us  ;  and  where  is 
the  use  of  taking  all  these  precautions  against  the  Mingos' 
eyes  if  we  are  to  tell  them  where  the  cover  is  to  be  found 
through  the  nose  ?  No,  no  ;  deny  your  appetites,  deny  )rour 
appetites,  and  learn  one  virtue  from  a  redskin,  who  will  pass 
a  week  without  eating  even,  to  get  a  single  scalp.  Did  you 
hear  nothing,  Jasper  ?  ' ' 

"  The  Serpent  is  coming." 

"Then  let  us  see  if  Mohican  eyes  are  better  than  them  of 
a  lad  who  follows  the  water. ' ' 

The  Mohican  made  his  appearance  in  the  same  direction 
as  that  by  which  Jasper  had  rejoined  his  friends.  Instead 
of  coming  directly  on,  however,  no  sooner  did  he  pass  the 
bend,  where  he  was  concealed  from  any  who  might  be  higher 
up  stream,  than  he  moved  close  under  the  bank,  and,  using 
the  utmost  caution,  got  a  position  where  he  could  look  back, 
with  his  person  sufficiently  concealed  by  the  bushes  to  pre- 
vent its  being  seen  by  any  in  that  quarter. 

' '  The  Sarpent  sees  the  knaves  ! ' '  whispered  Pathfinder  ; 
"  as  I  'm  a  Christian  white  man  they  have  bit  at  the  bait, 
and  have  ambushed  the  smoke  !  " 


54  ftbe  ftatbfinfcer 


Here  a  hearty,  but  silent  laugh,  interrupted  his  words,  and 
nudging  Cap  with  his  elbow,  they  all  continued  to  watch 
the  movements  of  Chingachgook  in  profound  stillness.  The 
Mohican  remained  stationary  as  the  rock  on  which  he  stood, 
fully  ten  minutes  ;  then  it  was  apparent  that  something  of 
interest  had  occurred  within  his  view,  for  he  drew  back  with 
a  hurried  manner,  looked  anxiously  and  keenly  along  the 
margin  of  the  stream,  and  moved  quickly  down  it,  taking 
care  to  lose  his  trail  in  the  shallow  water.  He  was  evidently 
in  a  hurry  and  concerned,  now  looking  behind  him,  and  then 
casting  eager  glances  towards  every  spot  on  the  shore  where 
he  thought  a  canoe  might  be  concealed. 

' '  Call  him  in, ' '  whispered  Jasper,  scarce  able  to  restrain 
his  impatience  ;  ' '  call  him  in,  or  it  will  be  too  late.  See,  he 
is  actually  passing  us." 

"Not  so — not  so,  lad;  nothing  presses,  depend  on  it," 
returned  his  companion,  ' '  or  the  Sarpent  would  begin  to 
creep.  The  Lord  help  us,  and  teach  us  wisdom  !  I  do  be- 
lieve even  Chingachgook,  whose  sight  is  as  faithful  as  the 
hound's  scent,  overlooks  us,  and  will  not  find  out  the  am- 
bushment  we  have  made  ! ' ' 

This  exultation  was  untimely,  for  the  words  were  no 
sooner  spoken,  than  the  Indian,  who  had  actually  got  several 
feet  lower  down  the  stream  than  the  artificial  cover,  suddenly 
stopped,  fastened  a  keen  riveted  glance  among  the  trans- 
planted bushes,  made  a  few  hasty  steps  backwards,  and, 
bending  his  body  and  carefully  separating  the  branches,  he 
appeared  among  them. 

"  The  accursed  Mingos  !  "  said  Pathfinder,  as  soon  as  his 
friend  was  near  enough  to  be  addressed  with  prudence. 

"  Iroquois,"  returned  the  sententious  Indian. 

"  No  matter,  no  matter ;  Iroquois,  devil,  Mingo,  Mengwes, 
or  furies,  all  are  pretty  much  the  same.  I  call  all  rascals 
Mingos.  Come  hither,  chief,  and  let  us  convarse  rationally." 

The  two  then  stepped  aside,  and  conversed  earnestly  in  the 
dialect  of  the  Delawares.  When  their  private  communica- 
tion was  over,  Pathfinder  rejoined  the  rest,  and  made  them 
acquainted  with  all  he  had  learned. 

The  Mohican  had  followed  the  trail  of  their  enemies  some 


tlbe  jpatbfin&er  55 


distance  towards  the  fort,  until  the  latter  caught  a  sight  of 
the  smoke  of  Jasper's  fire,  when  they  instantly  retraced  their 
steps.  It  now  became  necessary  for  Chingachgook,  who  ran 
the  greatest  risk  of  detection,  to  find  a  cover  where  he  could 
secrete  himself  until  the  party  might  pass.  It  was,  perhaps, 
fortunate  for  him  that  the  savages  were  so  intent  on  this 
recent  discovery,  that  they  did  not  bestow  the  ordinary  at- 
tention on  the  signs  of  the  forest.  At  all  events,  they  passed 
him  swiftly,  fifteen  in  number,  treading  lightly  in  each 
other's  footsteps  ;  and  he  was  enabled  again  to  get  into  their 
rear.  After  proceeding  to  the  place  where  the  footsteps 
of  Pathfinder  and  the  Mohican  joined  the  principal  trail,  the 
Iroquois  had  struck  off  to  the  river,  which  they  reached  just 
as  Jasper  disappeared  behind  the  bend  below.  The  smoke 
being  now  in  plain  view,  the  savages  plunged  into  the  woods, 
and  endeavored  to  approach  the  fire  unseen.  Chingachgook 
profited  by  this  occasion  to  descend  to  the  water,  and  to  gain 
the  bend  in  the  river  also,  which  he  thought  had  been  ef- 
fected undiscovered.  Here  he  paused,  as  has  been  stated, 
until  he  saw  his  enemies  at  the  fire,  where  their  stay,  how- 
ever, was  very  short. 

Of  the  motives  of  the  Iroquois,  the  Mohican  could  judge 
only  by  their  acts.  He  thought  they  had  detected  the  arti- 
fice of  the  fire,  and  were  aware  that  it  had  been  kindled  with 
a  view  to  mislead  them  ;  for,  after  a  hasty  examination  of  the 
spot,  they  separated,  some  plunging  again  into  the  woods, 
while  six  or  eight  followed  the  footsteps  of  Jasper  along  the 
shore,  and  came  down  the  stream  towards  the  place  where 
the  canoes  had  landed.  What  course  they  might  take  on 
reaching  that  spot,  was  only  to  be  conjectured,  for  the  Ser- 
pent had  felt  the  emergency  to  be  too  pressing  to  delay  look- 
ing for  his  friends  any  longer.  From  some  indications  that 
were  to  be  gathered  from  their  gestures,  however,  he  thought 
it  probable  that  their  enemies  might  follow  down  in  the  mar- 
gin of  the  stream,  but  could  not  be  certain. 

As  the  Pathfinder  related  these  facts  to  his  companions, 
the  professional  feelings  of  the  two  other  white  men  came 
uppermost,  and  both  naturally  reverted  to  their  habits,  in 
quest  of  the  means  of  escape. 


5 6  Ube  patbfinfcer 


"  I^et  us  run  out  the  canoes  at  once,"  said  Jasper,  eagerly, 
"  the  current  is  strong,  and  by  using  the  paddles  vigorously 
we  shall  soon  be  beyond  the  reach  of  these  scoundrels  !  " 

' '  And  this  poor  flower,  that  first  blossomed  in  the  clear- 
ing— shall  it  wither  in  the  forest?"  objected  his  friend, 
with  a  poetry  that  he  had  unconsciously  imbibed  by  his 
long  association  with  the  Delawares. 

"  We  must  all  die  first,"  answered  the  youth,  a  generous 
color  mounting  to  his  temples  ;  "  Mabel  and  Arrowhead's 
wife  may  lie  down  in  the  canoes,  while  we  do  our  duty,  like 
men,  on  our  feet." 

"Ay,  you  are  actyve  at  the  paddle  and  the  oar,  Bau- 
douce,  I  will  allow,  but  an  accursed  Mingo  is  more  actyve 
at  his  mischief;  the  canoes  are  swift,  but  a  rifle-bullet  is 
swifter. ' ' 

"It  is  the  business  of  men  engaged  as  we  have  been,  by 
a  confiding  father,  to  run  this  risk — ' 

"But  it  is  not  their  business  to  overlook  prudence." 

"  Prudence  !  a  man  may  carry  his  prudence  so  far  as  to 
forget  his  courage. ' ' 

The  group  was  standing  on  the  narrow  strand,  the  Path- 
finder leaning  on  his  rifle,  the  butt  of  which  rested  on  the 
gravelly  beach,  while  both  his  hands  clasped  the  barrel,  at 
the  height  of  his  own  shoulders.  As  Jasper  threw  out  this 
severe  and  unmerited  imputation,  the  deep  red  of  his  com- 
rade's face  maintained  its  hue  unchanged,  though  the  young 
man  perceived  that  the  fingers  grasped  the  iron  of  the  gun 
with  the  tenacity  of  a  vice.  Here  all  betrayal  of  emotion 
ceased. 

' '  You  are  young  and  hot-headed, ' '  returned  the  Pathfinder, 
with  a  dignity  that  impressed  his  listener  with  a  keen  sense 
of  his  moral  superiority  ;  ' '  but  my  life  has  been  passed 
among  dangers  of  this  sort,  and  my  exper'ence  and  gifts 
are  not  to  be  mastered  by  the  impatience  of  a  boy.  As  for 
courage,  Jasper,  I  will  not  send  back  an  angry  and  unmean- 
ing word,  to  meet  an  angry  and  an  unmeaning  word,  for  I 
know  that  you  are  true,  in  your  station  and  according  to 
your  knowledge  ;  but  take  the  advice  of  one  who  faced  the 
Mingos  when  you  were  a  child,  and  know  that  their  cun- 


Hbe  jpatbtinfcer  57 


ning  is  easier  sarcumvented  by  prudence  than  outwitted  by 
foolishness. ' ' 

"  I  ask  your  pardon,  Pathfinder,"  said  the  repentant 
Jasper,  eagerly  grasping  the  hand  that  the  other  permitted 
him  to  seize  ;  "I  ask  your  pardon,  humbly  and  sincerely. 
'Twas  a  foolish,  as  well  as  wicked  thing  to  hint  of  a  man 
whose  heart,  in  a  good  cause,  is  as  firm  as  the  rocks  on  the 
lake  shore. ' ' 

For  the  first  time  the  color  deepened  on  the  cheek  of  the 
Pathfinder,  and  the  solemn  dignity  that  he  had  assumed, 
under  a  purely  natural  impulse,  disappeared  in  the  expres- 
sion of  the  earnest  simplicity  that  was  inherent  in  all  his 
feelings.  He  met  the  grasp  of  his  young  friend  with  a 
squeeze  as  cordial  as  if  no  chord  had  jarred  between  them, 
and  a  slight  sternness  that  had  gathered  about  his  eyes 
disappeared  in  a  look  of  natural  kindness. 

'"Tis  well,  Jasper,  'tis  well,"  he  answered,  laughing. 
' '  I  bear  no  ill-will,  nor  shall  any  one  in  my  behalf.  My 
natur'  is  that  of  a  white  man,  and  that  is  to  bear  no  malice. 
It  might  have  been  ticklish  work  to  have  said  half  as  much 
to  the  Sarpent  here,  though  he  is  a  Delaware,  for  color  will 
have  its  way — ' ' 

A  touch  on  his  shoulder  caused  the  speaker  to  cease. 
Mabel  was  standing  erect  in  the  canoe,  her  light  but  swell- 
ing form  bent  forward  in  an  attitude  of  graceful  earnestness, 
her  finger  on  her  lips,  her  head  averted,  the  spirited  eyes 
riveted  on  an  opening  in  the  bushes,  and  one  arm  extended 
with  a  fishing-rod,  the  end  of  which  had  touched  the  Path- 
finder. The  latter  bowed  his  head  to  a  level  with  a  lookout 
near  which  he  had  intentionally  kept  himself,  and  then 
whispered  to  Jasper, — 

"  The  accursed  Mingos  !  Stand  to  your  arms,  my  men, 
but  lay  quiet  as  the  corpses  of  dead  trees  ! ' ' 

Jasper  advanced  rapidly,  but  noiselessly,  to  the  canoe, 
and  with  a  gentle  violence  induced  Mabel  to  place  herself 
in  such  an  attitude  as  concealed  her  entire  body,  though  it 
would  have  probably  exceeded  his  means  to  induce  the  girl 
so  far  to  lower  her  head  that  she  could  not  keep  her  gaze 
fastened  on  their  enemies.  He  then  took  his  own  post  near 


5  8  Ube  patbffnfcer 


her,  with  his  rifle  cocked  and  poised,  in  readiness  to  fire. 
Arrowhead  and  Chingachgook  crawled  to  the  cover,  and 
lay  in  wait  like  snakes,  with  their  arms  prepared  for  service, 
while  the  wife  of  the  former  bowed  her  head  between  her 
knees,  covered  it  with  her  calico  robe,  and  remained  passive 
and  immovable.  Cap  loosened  both  his  pistols  in  their  belt, 
but  seemed  quite  at  a  loss  what  course  to  pursue.  The 
Pathfinder  did  not  stir.  He  had  originally  got  a  position 
where  he  might  aim  with  deadly  effect  through  the  leaves, 
and  where  he  could  watch  the  movements  of  his  enemies  ; 
and  he  was  far  too  steady  to  be  disconcerted  at  a  moment 
so  critical. 

It  was  truly  an  alarming  instant.  Just  as  Mabel  touched 
the  shoulder  of  her  guide,  three  of  the  Iroquois  appeared  in 
the  water,  at  the  bend  of  the  river,  within  a  hundred  yards 
of  the  cover,  and  halted  to  examine  the  stream  below. 
They  were  all  naked  to  the  waist,  armed  for  an  expedition 
against  their  foes,  and  in  their  war-paint.  It  was  apparent 
that  they  were  undecided  as  to  the  course  they  ought  to 
pursue,  in  order  to  find  the  fugitives.  One  pointed  down 
the  river,  a  second  up  the  stream,  and  the  third  towards  the 
opposite  bank. 


CHAPTER  V. 

"  Death  is  here,  and  death  is  there, 
Death  is  busy  everywhere." 


IT  was  a  breathless  moment.  The  only  clue  the  fugitives 
possessed  to  the  intentions  of  their  pursuers  was  in 
their  gestures,  and  the  indications  that  escaped  them 
in  the  fury  of  disappointment.  That  a  party  had 
returned  already  on  their  own  footsteps,  by  land,  was  pretty 
certain  ;  and  all  the  benefit  expected  from  the  artifice  of  the 
fire  was  necessarily  lost.  But  that  consideration  became  of 
little  moment,  just  then,  for  the  secreted  were  menaced  with 
an  immediate  discovery  by  those  who  had  kept  on  a  level 
with  the  river.  All  the  facts  presented  themselves  clearly, 
and  as  it  might  be  by  intuition,  to  the  mind  of  Pathfinder, 
who  perceived  the  necessity  of  immediate  decision,  and  of 
being  in  readiness  to  act  in  concert.  Without  making  any 
noise,  therefore,  he  managed  to  get  the  two  Indians  and 
Jasper  near  him,  when  he  opened  his  communications  in  a 
whisper. 

"We  must  be  ready  —  we  must  be  ready,"  he  said. 
'  '  There  are  but  three  of  the  scalping  devils,  and  we  are 
five,  four  of  whom  may  be  set  down  as  manful  warriors  for 
such  a  skrimmage.  Eau-douce,  do  you  take  the  fellow  that 
is  painted  like  death  ;  Chingachgook,  I  give  you  the  chief  ; 
and  Arrowhead  must  keep  his  eye  on  the  young  one. 
There  must  be  no  mistake  ;  for  two  bullets  in  the  same 
body  would  be  sinful  waste,  with  one  like  the  sergeant's 
daughter  in  danger.  I  shall  hold  myself  in  resarve  ag'in 
accidents,  lest  a  fourth  riptyle  appear,  for  one  of  your  hands 
59 


60  tlbe  patbfinfcer 


may  prove  unsteady.  By  no  means  fire  until  I  give  the 
word ;  we  must  not  let  the  crack  of  the  rifle  be  heard  ex- 
cept in  the  last  resort,  since  all  the  rest  of  the  miscreants 
are  still  within  hearing.  Jasper,  boy,  in  case  of  any  move- 
ment behind  us,  on  the  bank,  I  trust  to  you  to  run  out  the 
canoe,  with  the  sergeant's  daughter,  and  to  pull  for  the  gar- 
rison, by  God's  leave." 

The  Pathfinder  had  no  sooner  given  these  directions  than 
the  near  approach  of  their  enemies  rendered  profound  silence 
necessary.  The  Iroquois  in  the  river  were  slowly  descend- 
ing the  stream,  keeping  of  necessity  near  the  bushes  that 
overhung  the  water,  whilst  the  rustling  of  leaves  and  the 
snapping  of  twigs  soon  gave  fearful  evidence  that  another 
party  was  moving  along  the  bank  at  an  equally  graduated 
pace,  and  directly  abreast  of  them.  In  consequence  of  the 
distance  between  the  bushes  planted  by  the  fugitives  and 
the  true  shore,  the  two  parties  became  visible  to  each  other, 
when  opposite  that  precise  point.  Both  stopped,  and  a  con- 
versation ensued,  that  may  be  said  to  have  passed  directly 
over  the  heads  of  those  who  were  concealed.  Indeed, 
nothing  sheltered  the  travellers  but  the  branches  and  leaves 
of  plants  so  pliant,  that  they  yielded  to  every  current  of  air, 
and  which  a  puff  of  wind,  a  little  stronger  than  common, 
would  have  blown  away.  Fortunately  the  line  of  sight 
carried  the  eyes  of  the  two  parties  of  savages,  whether  they 
stood  in  the  water  or  on  the  land,  above  the  bushes  ;  and 
the  leaves  appeared  blended  in  a  way  to  excite  no  suspicion. 
Perhaps  the  very  boldness  of  the  expedient  prevented  an 
exposure.  The  conversation  that  took  place  was  conducted 
earnestly,  but  in  guarded  tones,  as  if  those  who  spoke  wished 
to  defeat  the  intentions  of  any  listeners.  It  was  in  a  dialect 
that  both  the  Indian  warriors  beneath,  as  well  as  the  Path- 
finder, understood.  Even  Jasper  comprehended  a  portion 
of  what  was  said. 

"  The  trail  is  washed  away  by  the  water  !  "  said  one  from 
below,  who  stood  so  near  the  artificial  cover  of  the  fugitives, 
that  he  might  have  been  struck  by  the  salmon-spear  that 
lay  in  the  bottom  of  Jasper's  canoe.  "  Water  has  washed 
it  so  clear,  that  a  Yengeese  hound  could  not  follow." 


Ube  patbfinber  61 


"The  pale-faces  have  left  the  shore  in  their  canoes, "  an- 
swered the  speaker  on  the  bank. 

"It  cannot  be.  The  rifles  of  our  warriors  below  are 
certain." 

The  Pathfinder  gave  a  significant  glance  at  Jasper,  and 
he  clenched  his  teeth  in  order  to  suppress  the  sound  of  his 
own  breathing. 

"  Let  my  young  men  look  as  if  their  eyes  were  eagles'," 
said  the  eldest  warrior  among  those  who  were  wading  in 
the  river.  ' '  We  have  been  a  whole  moon  on  the  war-path, 
and  have  found  but  one  scalp.  There  is  a  maiden  among 
them,  and  some  of  our  braves  want  wives." 

Happily  these  words  were  lost  on  Mabel,  but  Jasper's 
frown  became  deeper,  and  his  face  fiercely  flushed. 

The  savages  now  ceased  speaking,  and  the  party  that  was 
concealed  heard  the  slow  and  guarded  movements  of  those 
who  were  on  the  bank,  as  they  pushed  the  bushes  aside  in 
their  wary  progress.  It  was  soon  evident  that  the  latter 
had  passed  the  cover ;  but  the  group  in  the  water  still  re- 
mained, scanning  the  shore  with  eyes  that  glared  through 
their  war-paint,  like  coals  of  living  fire.  After  a  pause  of 
two  or  three  minutes,  these  three  began  also  to  descend  the 
stream,  though  it  was  step  by  step,  as  men  move  who  look 
for  an  object  that  has  been  lost.  In  this  manner  they 
passed  the  artificial  screen,  and  Pathfinder  opened  his  mouth, 
in  that  hearty  but  noiseless  laugh,  that  nature  and  habit 
had  contributed  to  render  a  peculiarity  of  the  man.  His 
triumph,  however,  was  premature  ;  for  the  last  of  the  retir- 
ing party,  just  at  this  moment  casting  a  look  behind  him, 
suddenly  stopped  ;  and  his  fixed  attitude  and  steady  gaze  at 
once  betrayed  the  appalling  fact  that  some  neglected  bush 
had  awakened  his  suspicions. 

It  was,  perhaps,  fortunate  for  the  concealed,  that  the 
warrior  who  manifested  these  fearful  signs  of  distrust  was 
young,  and  had  still  a  reputation  to  acquire.  He  knew  the 
importance  of  discretion  and  modesty  in  one  of  his  years, 
and  most  of  all  did  he  dread  the  ridicule  and  contempt  that 
would  certainly  follow  a  false  alarm.  Without  recalling 
any  of  his  companions,  therefore,  he  turned  on  his  own  foot- 


62  'Ebe  jpatbfinfcer 


steps,  and  while  the  others  continued  to  descend  the  river, 
he  cautiously  approached  the  bushes,  on  which  his  looks 
were  still  fastened,  as  by  a  charm.  Some  of  the  leaves 
which  were  exposed  to  the  sun  had  drooped  a  little,  and 
this  slight  departure  from  the  usual  natural  laws  had  caught 
the  quick  eyes  of  the  Indian  ;  for  so  practised  and  acute  do 
the  senses  of  the  savage  become,  more  especially  when  he 
is  on  the  war-path,  that  trifles,  apparently  of  the  most  in- 
significant sort,  often  prove  to  be  clues  to  lead  him  to  his 
object.  The  trifling  nature  of  the  change  which  had  aroused 
the  suspicion  of  this  youth,  was  an  additional  motive  for 
not  acquainting  his  companions  with  his  discovery.  Should 
he  really  detect  anything,  his  glory  would  be  the  greater  for 
being  unshared  ;  should  he  not,  he  might  hope  to  escape 
that  derision  which  the  young  Indian  so  much  dreads. 
Then  there  were  the  dangers  of  an  ambush  and  a  surprise, 
to  which  every  warrior  of  the  woods  is  keenly  alive,  to 
render  his  approach  slow  and  cautious.  In  consequence  of 
the  delay  that  proceeded  from  these  combined  causes,  the 
two  parties  had  descended  some  fifty  or  sixty  yards  before 
the  young  savage  was  again  near  enough  to  the  bushes  of 
the  Pathfinder  to  touch  them  with  his  hand. 

Notwithstanding  their  critical  situation,  the  whole  party 
behind  the  cover  had  their  eyes  fastened  on  the  working 
countenance  of  the  young  Iroquois,  who  was  agitated  by 
conflicting  feelings.  First  came  the  eager  hope  of  obtaining 
success,  where  some  of  the  most  experienced  of  his  tribe  had 
failed,  and  with  it  a  degree  of  glory  that  had  seldom  fallen 
to  the  share  of  one  of  his  years,  or  a  brave  on  his  first  war- 
path ;  then  followed  doubts,  as  the  drooping  leaves  seemed 
to  rise  again,  and  to  revive  in  the  currents  of  air  ;  and  dis- 
trust of  hidden  danger  lent  its  exciting  feeling  to  keep  the 
eloquent  features  in  play.  So  very  slight,  however,  had 
been  the  alteration  produced  by  the  heat  on  bushes  of  which 
the  stems  were  in  the  water,  that  when  the  Iroquois  actually 
laid  his  hand  on  the  leaves,  he  fancied  that  l»e  had  been 
deceived.  As  no  man  ever  distrusts  strongly,  without  using 
all  convenient  means  «f  satisfying  his  doubts,  however,  the 
young  warrior  cautiously  pushed  aside  the  branches,  and 


Jpatbfinfcer  63 


advanced  a  step  within  the  hiding-place,  when  the  forms 
of  the  concealed  party  met  his  gaze,  resembling  so  many 
breathless  statues.  The  low  exclamation,  the  slight  start, 
and  the  glaring  eye  were  hardly  seen  and  heard,  before  the 
arm  of  Chingachgook  was  raised,  and  the  tomahawk  of 
the  Delaware  descended  on  the  shaven  head  of  his  foe. 
The  Iroquois  raised  his  hands  frantically,  bounded  back- 
wards, and  fell  into  the  water  at  a  spot  where  the  current 
swept  the  body  away,  the  struggling  limbs  still  tossing  and 
writhing  in  the  agony  of  death.  The  Delaware  made  a 
vigorous  but  unsuccessful  attempt  to  seize  an  arm,  with  the 
hope  of  securing  the  scalp,  but  the  blood-stained  waters 
whirled  down  the  current,  carrying  with  them  their  quiver* 
ing  burden. 

All  this  passed  in  less  than  a  minute ;  and  the  events  were 
so  sudden  and  unexpected,  that  men  less  accustomed  than 
the  Pathfinder  and  his  associates  to  forest  warfare,  would 
have  been  at  a  loss  how  to  act. 

"There  is  not  a  moment  to  lose  !"  said  Jasper,  tearing 
aside  the  bushes,  as  he  spoke  earnestly,  but  in  a  suppressed 
voice.  "Do  as  I  do,  Master  Cap,  if  you  would  save  your 
niece  ;  and  you,  Mabel,  lie  at  your  length  in  the  canoe." 

The  words  were  scarcely  uttered,  when,  seizing  the  bow 
of  the  light  boat,  he  dragged  it  along  the  shore,  wading  him- 
self while  Cap  aided  behind,  keeping  so  near  the  bank  as  to 
avoid  being  seen  by  the  savages  below,  and  striving  to  gain 
the  turn  in  the  river  above  him,  which  would  effectually 
conceal  the  party  from  the  enemy.  The  Pathfinder's  canoe 
lay  nearest  to  the  bank,  and  it  was  necessarily  the  last  to 
quit  the  shore.  The  Delaware  leaped  on  the  narrow  strand, 
and  plunged  into  the  forest,  it  being  his  assigned  duty  to 
watch  the  foe  in  that  quarter,  while  Arrowhead  motioned 
to  his  white  companion  to  seize  the  bow  of  the  boat,  and 
to  follow  Jasper.  All  this  was  the  work  of  an  instant.  But 
when  the  Pathfinder  reached  the  current  that  was  sweeping 
round  the  turn,  he  felt  a  sudden  change  in  the  weight  he 
was  dragging,  and  looking  back  he  found  that  both  the  Tus- 
carora  and  his  wife  had  deserted  him.  The  thought  of 
treachery  flashed  upon  his  mind,  but  there  was  no  time  to 


64  Ube  patbfinfcer 


pause ;  for  the  wailing  shout  that  arose  from  the  party  below, 
proclaimed  that  the  body  of  the  young  Iroquois  had  floated 
as  low  as  the  spot  reached  by  his  friends.  The  report  of  a 
rifle  followed ;  and  then  the  guide  saw  that  Jasper,  having 
doubled  the  bend  in  the  river,  was  crossing  the  stream, 
standing  erect  in  the  stern  of  the  canoe,  while  Cap  was 
seated  forward,  both  propelling  the  light  boat  with  vigorous 
strokes  of  the  paddles.  A  glance,  a  thought,  and  an  exped- 
ient followed  each  other  quickly,  in  one  so  trained  in  the 
vicissitudes  of  the  frontier  warfare.  Springing  into  the  stern 
of  his  own  canoe,  he  urged  it  by  a  vigorous  shove  into  the 
current,  and  commenced  crossing  the  stream  himself,  at  a 
point  so  much  lower  than  that  of  his  companions,  as  to  offer 
his  own  person  for  a  target  to  the  enemy,  well  knowing  that 
their  keen  desire  to  secure  a  scalp  would  control  all  other 
feelings. 

"Keep  well  up  the  current,  Jasper,"  shouted  the  gallant 
guide,  as  he  swept  the  water  with  long,  steady,  vigorous 
strokes  of  the  paddle  ;  ' '  keep  well  up  the  current,  and  pull 
for  the  alder  bushes  opposite.  Presarve  the  sergeant's 
daughter  before  all  things,  and  leave  the  Mingo  knaves  to 
the  Sarpent  and  me." 

Jasper  flourished  his  paddle,  as  a  signal  of  understanding, 
while  shot  succeeded  shot  in  quick  succession,  all  now  being 
aimed  at  the  solitary  man  in  the  nearest  canoe. 

"Ay,  empty  your  rifles,  like  simpletons  as  you  be,"  said 
the  Pathfinder,  who  had  acquired  a  habit  of  speaking  when 
alone,  from  passing  so  much  of  his  time  in  the  solitude  of 
the  forest;  "empty  your  rifles,  with  an  onsteady  aim,  and 
give  me  time  to  put  yard  upon  yard  of  river  between  us.  I 
will  not  revile  you,  like  a  Delaware  or  a  Mohican,  for  my 
gifts  are  a  white  man's  gifts,  and  not  an  Injin's  ;  and  boast- 
ing in  battle  is  no  part  of  a  Christian  warrior ;  but  I  may 
say,  here,  all  alone  by  myself,  that  you  are  little  better 
than  so  many  men  from  the  town,  shooting  at  robins  in  the 
orchards  !  That  was  well  meant,"  throwing  back  his  head, 
as  a  rifle  bullet  cut  a  lock  of  hair  from  his  temple  ;  "but  the 
lead  that  misses  by  an  inch  is  as  useless  as  the  lead  that 
never  quits  the  barrel.  Bravely  done,  Jasper  !  the  sergeant's 


ipatbfinber  65 


sweet  child  must  be  saved,  even  if  we  go  in  without  our 
own  scalps." 

By  this  time  the  Pathfinder  was  in  the  centre  of  the  river, 
and  almost  abreast  of  his  enemies,  while  the  other  canoe, 
impelled  by  the  vigorous  arms  of  Cap  and  Jasper,  had  nearly 
gained  the  opposite  shore  at  the  precise  spot  that  had  been 
pointed  out  to  them.  The  old  mariner  now  played  his  part 
manfully  ;  for  he  was  on  his  proper  element,  loved  his  niece 
sincerely,  had  a  proper  regard  for  his  own  person,  and  was 
not  unused  to  fire,  though  his  experience  certainly  lay  in  a 
very  different  species  of  warfare.  A  few  strokes  of  the  pad- 
dles were  given,  and  the  canoe  shot  into  the  bushes,  Mabel 
was  hurried  to  land  by  Jasper,  and,  for  the  present,  all  three 
of  the  fugitives  were  safe. 

Not  so  with  the  Pathfinder.  His  hardy  self-devotion  had 
brought  him  into  a  situation  of  unusual  exposure,  the  hazards 
of  which  were  much  increased,  by  the  fact  that  just  as  he 
drifted  nearest  to  the  enemy,  the  party  on  the  shore  rushed 
down  the  bank,  and  joined  their  friends  who  stood  still  in 
the  water.  The  Oswego  was  about  a  cable's  length  in  width 
at  this  point,  and  the  canoe  being  in  the  centre,  the  object 
was  only  a  hundred  yards  from  the  rifles  that  were  con- 
stantly discharged  at  it,  or  at  the  usual  target  distance  for 
that  weapon. 

In  this  extremity  the  steadiness  and  skill  of  the  Pathfinder 
did  him  good  service.  He  knew  that  his  safety  depended 
altogether  on  keeping  in  motion  ;  for  a  stationary  object,  at 
that  distance,  would  have  been  hit  nearly  every  shot.  Nor 
was  motion  of  itself  sufficient :  for,  accustomed  to  kill  the 
bounding  deer,  his  enemies  probably  knew  how  to  vary  the 
line  of  aim  so  as  to  strike  him,  should  he  continue  to  move 
in  any  one  direction.  He  was  consequently  compelled  to 
change  the  course  of  the  canoe,  at  one  moment  shooting 
down  with  the  current,  with  the  swiftness  of  an  arrow,  and 
at  the  next  checking  its  progress  in  that  direction,  to  glance 
athwart  the  stream.  L,uckily  the  Iroquois  could  not  reload 
their  pieces  in  the  water,  and  the  bushes  that  everywhere 
fringed  the  shore  rendered  it  difficult  to  keep  the  "fugitive 
in  view  when  on  the  land.  Aided  by  these  circumstances, 


66  Ube  {patbftnfcer 


and  having  received  the  fire  of  all  his  foes,  the  Pathfinder 
was  gaining  fast  in  distance,  both  downwards  and  across  the 
current,  when  a  new  danger  suddenly,  if  not  unexpectedly, 
presented  itself,  by  the  appearance  of  the  party  that  had  been 
left  in  ambush  below,  with  a  view  to  watch  the  river. 

These  were  the  savages  alluded  to  in  the  short  dialogue  that 
has  been  already  related.  They  were  no  less  than  ten  in 
number,  and  understanding  all  the  advantages  of  their 
bloody  occupation,  they  had  posted  themselves  at  a  spot 
where  the  water  dashed  among  rocks  and  over  shallows,  in 
a  way  to  form  a  rapid,  which,  in  the  language  of  the  country, 
is  called  a  rift.  The  Pathfinder  saw  that  if  he  entered  this 
rift  he  should  be  compelled  to  approach  a  point  where  the 
Iroquois  had  posted  themselves,  for  the  current  was  irresisti- 
ble, and  the  rocks  allowed  no  other  safe  passage,  while 
death  or  captivity  would  be  the  probable  result  of  the 
attempt.  All  his  efforts,  therefore,  were  turned  towards 
reaching  the  western  shore,  the  foe  being  all  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  river.  But  the  exploit  surpassed  human  power, 
and  to  attempt  to  stem  the  stream  would  at  once  have  so  far 
diminished  the  motion  of  the  canoe,  as  to  render  aim  certain. 
In  this  exigency  the  guide  came  to  a  decision  with  his  usual 
cool  promptitude,  making  his  preparations  accordingly.  In- 
stead of  endeavoring  to  gain  the  channel,  he  steered  towards 
the  shallowest  part  of  the  stream,  on  reaching  which  he 
seized  his  rifle  and  pack,  leaped  into  the  water,  and  began  to 
wade  from  rock  to  rock,  taking  the  direction  of  the  western 
shore.  The  canoe  whirled  about  in  the  furious  current,  now 
rolling  over  some  slippery  stone,  now  filling,  and  then 
emptying  itself,  until  it  lodged  on  the  shore,  within  a  few 
yards  of  the  spot  where  the  Iroquois  had  posted  themselves. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  Pathfinder  was  far  from  being  out 
of  danger  ;  for  the  first  minute,  admiration  of  his  prompti- 
tude and  daring,  which  are  high  virtues  in  the  mind  of  an 
Indian,  kept  his  enemies  motionless  ;  but  the  desire  of  re- 
venge, and  the  cravings  for  the  much-prized  trophy,  soon 
overcame  this  transient  feeling,  and  aroused  them  from  their 
stupor.  Rifle  flashed  after  rifle,  and  the  bullets  whistled 
around  the  head  of  the  fugitive,  amid  the  roar  of  the  waters. 


Ube  jpatbfinfcer  67 


Still,  he  proceeded  like  one  who  bore  a  charmed  life,  for 
while  his  rude  frontier  garments  were  more  than  once  cut, 
his  skin  was  not  rased. 

As  the  Pathfinder,  in  several  instances,  was  compelled  to 
wade  in  water  that  rose  nearly  to  his  arms,  while  he  kept  his 
rifle  and  ammunition  elevated  above  the  raging  current, 
the  toil  soon  fatigued  him,  and  he  was  glad  to  stop  at  a  large 
stone,  or  a  small  rock,  which  rose  so  high  above  the  river, 
that  its  upper  surface  was  dry.  On  this  stone  he  placed  his 
powder-horn,  getting  behind  it  himself,  so  as  to  have  the 
advantage  of  a  partial  cover  for  his  body.  The  western  shore 
was  only  fifty  feet  distant,  but  the  quiet,  swift,  dark  current 
that  glanced  through  the  interval,  sufficiently  showed  that 
here  he  would  be  compelled  to  swim. 

A  short  cessation  in  the  firing  now  took  place  on  the  part 
of  the  Indians,  who  gathered  about  the  canoe,  and,  having 
found  the  paddles,  were  preparing  to  cross  the  river. 

"  Pathfinder  !  "  called  a  voice  from  among  the  bushes,  at 
the  point  nearest  to  the  person  addressed,  on  the  western 
shore. 

' '  What  would  you  have,  Jasper  ?  ' ' 

"Be  of  good  heart ;  friends  are  at  hand,  and  not  a  single 
Mingo  shall  cross  without  suffering  for  his  boldness.  Had 
you  not  better  leave  the  rifle  on  the  rock,  and  swim  to  us 
before  the  rascals  can  get  afloat  ? ' ' 

' '  A  true  woodsman  never  quits  his  piece,  while  he  has 
any  powder  in  his  horn,  or  a  bullet  in  his  pouch.  I  have  not 
drawn  a  trigger  this  day,  Eau-douce,  and  should  n't  relish  the 
idea  of  parting  with  them  riptyles,  without  causing  them  to 
remember  my  name.  A  little  water  will  not  harm  my  legs  ; 
and  I  see  that  blackguard,  Arrowhead,  among  the  scamps, 
and  wish  to  send  him  the  wages  he  has  so  faithfully  earned. 
You  have  not  brought  the  sergeant's  daughter  down  here  in 
a  range  with  their  bullets,  I  hope,  Jasper  ! ' ' 

"She  is  safe,  for  the  present  at  least ;  though  all  depends 
on  our  keeping  the  river  between  us  and  the  enemy.  They 
must  know  our  weakness,  now  ;  and  should  they  cross,  no 
doubt  some  of  their  party  will  be  left  on  the  other  side. ' ' 

"This  canoeing  touches  your  gifts  rather  than  mine,  boy, 


68  ZTbe  patbfinDer 


though  I  will  handle  a  paddle  with  the  best  Mingo  that  ever 
struck  a  salmon.  If  they  cross  below  the  rift,  why  can't  we 
cross  in  the  still  water  above,  and  keep  playing  at  dodge  and 
turn  with  the  wolves?  " 

"  Because,  as  I  have  said,  they  will  leave  a  party  on  the 
other  shore  ;  and  then,  Pathfinder,  would  you  expose  Mabel 
to  the  rifles  of  the  Iroquois  ?  " 

"The  sergeant's  daughter  must  be  saved,"  returned  the 
guide,  with  calm  energy.  "  You  are  right,  Jasper  ;  she  has 
no  gift  to  authorize  her  in  offering  her  sweet  face  and  tender 
body  to  a  Mingo  rifle.  What  can  be  done,  then  ?  They 
must  be  kept  from  crossing  for  an  hour  or  two,  if  possible, 
when  we  must  do  our  best  in  the  darkness. ' ' 

"I  agree  with  you,  Pathfinder,  if  it  can  be  effected  ;  but 
are  we  strong  enough  for  such  a  purpose  ?  " 

"The  Lord  is  with  us,  boy — the  L,ord  is  with  us  ;  and 
it  is  onreasonable  to  suppose  that  one  like  the  sergeant's 
daughter  will  be  altogether  abandoned  byProvidence,  in  such 
a  strait.  There  is  not  a  boat  between  the  falls  and  the  gar- 
rison, except  these  two  canoes,  to  my  sartain  knowledge ; 
and  I  think  it  will  go  beyond  redskin  gifts  to  cross  in  the 
face  of  two  rifles,  like  these  of  your'n  and  mine.  I  will  not 
vaunt,  Jasper,  but  it  is  well  known  on  all  this  frontier  that 
Killdeer  seldom  fails." 

"Your  skill  is  admitted  by  all,  far  and  near,  Pathfinder, 
but  a  rifle  takes  time  to  be  loaded  ;  nor  are  you  on  the  land, 
aided  by  a  good  cover,  where  you  can  work  to  the  advantage 
you  are  used  to.  If  you  had  our  canoe,  might  you  not  pass 
to  the  shore  with  a  dry  rifle  ? ' ' 

"  Can  an  eagle  fly,  Jasper?  "  returned  the  other,  laughing 
in  his  usual  manner,  and  looking  back  as  he  spoke.  ' '  But  it 
would  be  unwise  to  expose  yourself  on  the  water,  for  them 
miscreants  are  beginning  to  bethink  them  again  of  powder 
and  bullets." 

"  It  can  be  done  without  any  such  chances.  Master  Cap 
has  gone  up  to  the  canoe,  and  will  cast  the  branch  of  a  tree 
into  the  river  to  try  the  current,  which  sets  from  the  point 
above  in  the  direction  of  your  rock.  See,  there  it  conies 
already  ;  if  it  floats  fairly,  you  must  raise  your  arm,  when  the 


Ube  Jpatbffnfcer  69 


canoe  will  follow.  At  all  events,  if  the  boat  should  pass  you. 
the  eddy  below  will  bring  it  up,  and  I  can  recover  it." 

While  Jasper  was  still  speaking,  the  floating  branch  came 
in  sight,  and  quickening  its  progress  with  the  increasing 
velocity  of  the  current,  it  swept  swiftly  down  towards  the 
Pathfinder,  who  seized  it  as  it  was  passing,  and  held  it  in  the 
air  as  a  sign  of  success.  Cap  understood  the  signal,  and 
presently  the  canoe  was  launched  into  the  stream,  with  a 
caution  and  an  intelligence  that  the  habits  of  the  mariner 
fitted  him  to  observe.  It  floated  in  the  same  direction  as 
the  branch,  and  in  a  minute  was  arrested  by  the  Pathfinder. 

"This  has  been  done  with  a  frontierman's  judgment, 
Jasper,"  said  the  guide,  laughing  ;  "but  you  have  your  gifts, 
which  incline  most  to  the  water,  as  mine  incline  to  the  woods. 
Now  let  them  Mingo  knaves  cock  their  rifles  and  get  rests, 
for  this  is  the  last  chance  they  are  likely  to  have  at  a  man 
without  a  cover." 

"  Nay,  shove  the  canoe  towards  the  shore,  quartering  the 
current,  and  throw  yourself  into  it  as  it  goes  off,"  said  Jasper, 
eagerly.  "There  is  little  use  in  running  any  risk." 

' '  I  love  to  stand  up  face  to  face  with  my  enemies  like 
a  man,  while  they  set  me  the  example,"  returned  the 
Pathfinder,  proudly.  ' '  I  am  not  a  redskin  born,  and  it 
is  more  a  white  man's  gifts  to  fight  openly  than  to  lie  in 
ambushment." 

4 'And  Mabel?" 

"True,  boy,  true  ;  the  sergeant's  daughter  must  be  saved  ; 
and,  as  you  say,  foolish  risks  only  become  boys.  Think  you 
that  you  can  catch  the  canoe  where  you  stand  ?  " 

"  There  can  be  no  doubt,  if  you  give  a  vigorous  push." 

Pathfinder  made  the  necessary  effort,  the  light  bark  shot 
across  the  intervening  space,  and  Jasper  seized  it  as  it  came 
to  land.  To  secure  the  canoe,  and  to  take  proper  positions 
in  the  cover,  occupied  the  friends  but  a  moment,  when  they 
shook  hands  cordially,  like  those  who  had  met  after  a  long 
separation. 

' '  Now,  Jasper,  we  shall  see  if  a  Mingo  of  them  all  dare 
cross  the  Oswego  in  the  teeth  of  Killdeer  !  You  are  handier 
with  the  oar,  and  the  paddle,  and  the  sail,  than  with  the 


7o  Ube 


rifle,  perhaps  ;  but  you  have  a  stout  heart  and  a  steady  hand, 
and  them  are  things  that  count  in  a  fight." 

"Mabel  will  find  me  between  her  and  her  enemies,"  said 
Jasper,  calmly. 

"  Yes,  yes,  the  sergeant's  daughter  must  be  protected.  I 
like  you,  boy,  on  your  own  account,  but  I  like  you  all  the 
better  that  you  think  of  one  so  feeble,  at  a  moment  when 
there  is  need  of  all  your  manhood.  See,  Jasper,  three  of  the 
knaves  are  actually  getting  into  the  canoe  !  They  must  be- 
lieve we  have  fled,  or  they  would  not  surely  ventur'  so  much, 
directly  in  the  very  face  of  Killdeer  !  " 

Sure  enough,  the  Iroquois  did  appear  bent  on  venturing 
across  the  stream,  for,  as  the  Pathfinder  and  his  friends  now 
kept  their  persons  strictly  concealed,  their  enemies  began  to 
think  that  the  latter  had  taken  to  flight.  The  course  was 
that  which  most  white  men  would  have  followed  ;  but  Mabel 
was  under  the  care  of  those  who  were  much  too  well  skilled 
in  forest  warfare,  to  neglect  to  defend  the  only  pass  that  in 
truth  now  offered  even  a  probable  chance  for  protection. 

As  the  Pathfinder  had  said,  three  warriors  were  in  the 
canoe,  two  holding  their  rifles  at  a  poise,  kneeling  in  readi- 
ness to  aim  the  deadly  weapons  ;  the  other  standing  erect  in 
the  stern  to  wield  the  paddle.  In  this  manner  they  left  the 
shore,  having  had  the  precaution  to  haul  the  canoe,  previ- 
ously to  entering  it,  so  far  up  the  stream,  as  to  get  into  the 
comparatively  still  water  above  the  rift.  It  was  apparent,  at 
a  glance,  that  the  savage  who  guided  the  boat  was  skilled  in 
the  art,  for  the  long  steady  sweep  of  his  paddle  sent  the  light 
bark  over  the  glassy  surface  of  the  tranquil  river,  as  if  it  were 
a  feather  floating  in  air. 

"Shall  I  fire  ?  "  demanded  Jasper,  in  a  whisper,  trembling 
with  eagerness  to  engage. 

' '  Not  yet,  boy— not  yet.     There  are  but  three  of  them  and 
if  Master  Cap,  yonder,  knows  how  to  use  the  pop-guns  he 
carries  in  his  belt,  we  may  even  let  them  land,  and  then  we 
shall  recover  the  canoe. ' ' 
"But  Mabel?" 

"  No  fear  for  the  sergeant's  daughter.  She  is  safe  in  the 
hollow  stump,  you  say,  with  the  opening  judgmaticaliy  hid 


Ube  jpatbfin&er  71 


by  the  brambles.  If  what  you  tell  me  of  the  manner  in 
which  you  concealed  the  trail  be  true,  the  sweet  one  might 
lie  there  a  month,  and  laugh  at  the  Mingos." 

' '  We  are  never  certain  ;  I  wish  we  had  brought  her 
nearer  to  our  own  cover  !  " 

"What  for,  Eau-douce?  To  place  her  pretty  little  head 
and  leaping  heart  among  flying  bullets  ?  No,  no  ;  she  is 
better  where  she  is,  because  she  is  safer. ' ' 

' '  We  are  never  certain — we  thought  ourselves  safe  behind 
the  bushes,  yet  you  saw  that  we  were  discovered." 

"And  the  Mingo  imp  paid  for  his  cur'osity,  as  them 
knaves  are  about  to  do — " 

At  that  instant  the  sharp  report  of  a  rifle  was  heard, 
when  the  Indian  in  the  stern  of  the  canoe  leaped  high  into 
the  air,  and  fell  into  the  water,  holding  the  paddle  in  his 
hand.  A  small  wreath  of  smoke  floated  out  from  among 
the  bushes  of  the  eastern  shore,  and  was  soon  absorbed  by 
the  atmosphere. 

"That  is  the  Sarpent  hissing  !  "  exclaimed  the  Pathfinder, 
exultingly.  "  A  bolder  or  a  truer  heart  never  beat  in  the 
breast  of  a  Delaware.  I  am  sorry  that  he  interfered,  but  he 
could  not  have  known  our  condition — he  could  not  have 
known  our  condition." 

The  canoe  no  sooner  lost  its  guide,  than  it  floated  with 
the  stream,  and  was  soon  sucked  into  the  rapids  of  the  rift. 
Perfectly  helpless,  the  two  remaining  savages  gazed  wildly 
about  them,  but  could  offer  no  resistance  to  the  power  of 
the  element.  It  was,  perhaps,  fortunate  for  Chingachgook 
that  the  attention  of  most  of  the  Iroquois  was  intently 
given  to  the  situation  of  those  in  the  boat,  else  would  his 
escape  have  been  to  the  last  degree  difficult,  if  not  totally 
impracticable.  But  not  a  foe  moved,  except  to  conceal  his 
person  behind  some  cover,  and  every  eye  was  riveted  on  the 
two  remaining  adventurers.  In  less  time  than  has  been 
necessary  to  record  these  occurrences,  the  canoe  was  whirl- 
ing and  tossing  in  the  rift,  while  both  the  savages  had 
stretched  themselves  in  its  bottom,  as  the  only  means  of 
preserving  the  equilibrium.  This  natural  expedient  soon 
failed  them  ;  for  striking  a  rock,  the  light  craft  rolled  over, 


72  ftbe  jpatbfinfcer 


and  the  two  warriors  were  thrown  into  the  river.  The 
water  is  seldom  deep  on  a  rift,  except  in  particular  places 
where  it  may  have  worn  channels,  and  there  was  little  to  be 
apprehended  from  drowning,  though  their  arms  were  lost, 
and  the  two  savages  were  fain  to  make  the  best  of  their  way 
to  the  friendly  shore,  swimming  and  wading  as  circum- 
stances required.  The  canoe  itself  lodged  on  a  rock,  in  the 
centre  of  the  stream,  where,  for  the  moment,  it  became  use- 
less to  both  parties. 

"Now  is  our  time,  Pathfinder,"  cried  Jasper,  as  the  two 
Iroquois  exposed  most  of  their  persons  while  wading  in  the 
shallowest  part  of  the  rapids;  "the  fellow  up  stream  is 
mine,  and  you  can  take  the  lower. ' ' 

So  excited  had  the  young  man  become,  by  all  the  inci- 
dents of  the  stirring  scene,  that  the  bullet  sped  from  his 
rifle  as  he  spoke,  but  uselessly,  as  it  would  seem,  for  both 
the  fugitives  tossed  their  arms  in  disdain.  The  Pathfinder 
did  not  fire. 

"No — no — Eau-douce,"  he  answered;  "  I  do  not  seek 
blood  without  a  cause,  and  my  bullet  is  well  leathered  and 
carefully  driven  down,  for  the  time  of  need.  I  love  no 
Mingo,  as  is  just,  seeing  how  much  I  have  consorted  with 
the  Delawares,  who  are  their  mortal  and  nat'ral  enemies ; 
but  I  pull  no  trigger  on  one  of  the  miscreants,  unless  it  be 
plain  that  his  death  will  lead  to  some  good  end.  The  deer 
never  leaped  that  fell  by  my  hand  wantonly.  By  living 
much  alone  with  God  in  the  wilderness,  a  man  gets  to  feel 
the  justice  of  such  opinions.  One  life  is  sufficient  for  our 
present  wants,  and  there  may  yet  be  occasion  to  use  Kill- 
deer  in  behalf  of  the  Sarpent,  who  has  done  an  untimor- 
some  thing  to  let  them  rampant  devils  so  plainly  know  that 
he  is  in  their  neighborhood.  As  I  'm  a  wicked  sinner,  there 
is  one  of  them  prowling  along  the  bank,  this  very  moment, 
like  one  of  the  boys  of  the  garrison  skulking  behind  a 
fallen  tree  to  get  a  shot  at  a  squirrel !  " 

As  the  Pathfinder  pointed  with  his  finger,  while  speak- 
ing, the  quick  eye  of  Jasper  soon  caught  the  object  toward 
which  it  was  directed.  One  of  the  young  warriors  of  the 
enemy,  burning  with  a  desire  to  distinguish  himself,  had 


ZTbe 


73 


stolen  from  his  party  towards  the  cover  in  which  Chingach* 
gook  had  concealed  himself ;  and  as  the  latter  was  deceived 
by  the  apparent  apathy  of  his  foes,  as  well  as  engaged  in 
some  further  preparations  of  his  own,  he  had  evident^ 
obtained  a  position  where  he  got  a  sight  of  the  Delaware. 
This  circumstance  was  apparent  by  the  arrangements  the 
Iroquois  was  making  to  fire,  for  Chingachgook  himself  was 
not  visible  from  the  western  side  of  the  river.  The  rift 
was  at  a  bend  in  the  Oswego,  and  the  sweep  of  the  eastern 
shore  formed  a  curve  so  wide  that  Chingachgook  was  quite 
near  to  his  enemies  in  a  straight  direction,  though  separated 
by  several  hundred  feet  on  the  land,  owing  to  which  fact 
air  lines  brought  both  parties  nearly  equidistant  from  the 
Pathfinder  and  Jasper.  The  general  width  of  the  river 
being  a  little  less  than  two  hundred  yards,  such  necessarily 
was  about  the  distance  between  his  two  observers  and  the 
skulking  Iroquois. 

' '  The  Sarpent  must  be  thereabouts, ' '  observed  Pathfinder, 
who  never  turned  his  eye  for  an  instant  from  the  young  war- 
rior ;  ' '  and  yet  he  must  be  strangely  off  his  guard  to  allow 
a  Mingo  devil  to  get  his  stand  so  near,  with  manifest  signs 
of  bloodshed  in  his  heart." 

"See,"  interrupted  Jasper;  "there  is  the  body  of  the 
Indian  the  Delaware  shot !  It  has  drifted  on  a  rock,  and 
the  current  has  forced  the  head  and  face  above  the  water." 

"  Quite  likely,  boy  ;  quite  likely.  Human  natur'  is  little 
better  than  a  log  of  drift-wood,  when  the  life  that  was 
breathed  into  its  nostrils  has  departed.  That  Iroquois  will 
never  harm  any  one  more  ;  but  yonder  skulking  savage  is 
bent  on  taking  the  scalp  of  my  best  and  most  tried 
friend—" 

The  Pathfinder  suddenly  interrupted  himself,  by  raising 
his  rifle,  a  weapon  of  unusual  length,  with  admirable  preci- 
sion, and  firing  the  instant  it  got  its  level.  The  Iroquois  on 
the  opposite  shore  was  in  the  act  of  aiming  when  the  fatal 
messenger  from  Killdeer  arrived.  His  rifle  was  discharged, 
it  is  true,  but  it  was  with  the  muzzle  in  the  air,  while  the 
man  himself  plunged  into  the  bushes,  quite  evidently  hurt, 
if  not  slain. 


74  TTbe  jpatbfinfcer 


"The  skulking  riptyle  brought  it  on  himself,"  muttered 
Pathfinder,  sternly,  as,  dropping  the  breech  of  his  rifle,  he 
carefully  commenced  reloading  it.  "  Chingachgook  and  I 
have  consorted  together  since  we  were  boys,  and  have  fou't 
in  company,  on  the  Horican,  the  Mohawk,  the  Ontario,  and 
all  the  other  bloody  passes  between  the  country  of  the 
Frenchers  and  our  own  ;  and  did  the  foolish  knave  believe 
that  I  would  stand  by  and  see  my  best  friend  cut  off  in  an 
ambushment ! ' ' 

"  We  have  served  the  Serpent  as  good  a  turn  as  he  served 
us.  Those  rascals  are  troubled,  Pathfinder,  and  are  falling 
back  into  their  covers,  since  they  find  we  can  reach  them 
across  the  river." 

"The  shot  is  no  great  matter,  Jasper — no  great  matter. 
Ask  any  of  the  6oth,  and  they  can  tell  you  what  Killdeer 
can  do,  and  has  done,  and  that  too  when  the  bullets  were 
flying  about  our  heads  like  hail-stones.  No,  no  ;  this  is  no 
great  matter,  and  the  onthoughtful  vagabond  drew  it  down 
on  himself." 

"  Is  that  a  dog,  or  a  deer,  swimming  towards  this  shore  ?  " 
Pathfinder  started,  for,  sure  enough,  an  object  was  cross- 
ing the  stream  above  the  rift,  towards  which,  however,  it 
was  gradually  setting  by  the  force  of  the  current.  A  second 
look  satisfied  both  the  observers  that  it  was  a  man,  and  an 
Indian,  though  so  concealed  as  at  first  to  render  it  doubtful. 
Some  stratagem  was  apprehended,  and  the  closest  attention 
was  given  to  the  movements  of  the  stranger. 

"  He  is  pushing  something  before  him,  as  he  swims,  and 
his  head  resembles  a  drifting  bush  !  ' '  said  Jasper. 

"'T  is  Injin  deviltry,  boy;  but  Christian  honesty  shall 
sarcumvent  his  arts." 

As  the  man  slowly  approached,  the  observers  began  to 
doubt  the  accuracy  of  their  first  impressions,  and  it  was  only 
when  two  thirds  of  the  stream  were  passed,  that  the  truth 
was  really  known. 

"The  Big  Sarpent,  as  I  live!"  exclaimed  Pathfinder, 
looking  at  his  companion,  and  laughing  until  the  tears  came 
into  his  eyes,  with  pure  delight  at  the  success  of  the  artifice. 
' '  He  has  tied  bushes  to  his  head  so  as  to  hide  it,  put  the 


Ube  iPatbffn&er  75 


horn  on  top,  lashed  the  rifle  to  that  bit  of  log  he  is  pushing 
before  him,  and  has  come  over  to  join  his  friends.  Ah 's 
me  !  The  times  and  times  that  he  and  I  have  cut  such 
pranks,  right  in  the  teeth  of  Mingos  raging  for  our  blood,  in 
the  great  thoroughfare  round  and  about  Ty  ! ' ' 

"  It  may  not  be  the  Serpent,  after  all,  Pathfinder;  I  can 
see  no  feature  that  I  remember." 

"  Featur'  !  Who  looks  for  featur's  in  an  Injin  ?  No,  no, 
boy;  'tis  the  paint  that  speaks,  and  none  but  a  Delaware 
would  wear  that  paint.  Them  are  his  colors,  Jasper,  just 
as  your  craft  on  the  lake  wears  St.  George's  Cross,  and  the 
Frenchers  set  their  table-cloths  to  fluttering  in  the  wind, 
with  all  the  stains  of  fish-bone  and  venison  steaks  upon 
them.  Now,  you  see  the  eye,  lad,  and  it  is  the  eye  of  a  chief. 
But,  Eau-douce,  fierce  as  it  is  in  battle,  and  glassy  as  it 
looks  from  among  the  leaves," — here  the  Pathfinder  laid 
his  finger  lightly  but  impressively  on  his  companion's  arm, — 
"  I  have  seen  it  shed  tears  like  rain.  There  is  a  soul  and 
a  heart  under  that  red  skin,  rely  on  it ;  although  they  are 
a  soul  and  a  heart  with  gifts  different  from  our  own. ' ' 

"  No  one,  who  is  acquainted  with  the  chief,  ever  doubted 
that." 

"  I  know  it"  returned  the  other,  proudly,  "for  I  have  con- 
sorted with  him  in  sorrow  and  in  joy  ;  in  one,  I  have  found  him 
a  man,  however  stricken  ;  in  the  other,  a  chief  who  knows 
that  the  women  of  his  tribe  are  the  most  seemly  in  light 
merriment.  But  hist !  It  is  too  much  like  the  people  of 
the  settlements  to  pour  soft  speeches  into  another's  ear ; 
and  the  Sarpent  has  keen  senses.  He  knows  I  love  him,  and 
that  I  speak  well  of  him  behind  his  back  ;  but  a  Delaware 
has  modesty  in  his  inmost  natur',  though  he  will  brag  like 
a  sinner  when  tied  to  a  stake. ' ' 

The  Serpent  now  reached  the  shore,  directly  in  the  front 
of  his  two  comrades,  with  whose  precise  position  he  must 
have  been  acquainted  before  leaving  the  eastern  side  of  the 
river,  and  rising  from  the  water  he  shook  himself  like  a  dog, 
and  made  the  usual  exclamation, — 

"Hugh!" 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"  These,  as  they  change,  Almighty  Father,  these 
Are  but  the  varied  God." 

THOMSOK. 

AS  the  chief  landed  he  was  met  by  the  Pathfinder, 
who  addressed  him  in  the  language  of  the  war- 
rior's people. 

"Was  it  well  done,  Chingachgook,"  he  said, 
reproachfully,  "  to  ambush  a  dozen  Mingos  alone  !  Killdeer 
seldom  fails  me,  it  is  true  ;  but  the  Oswego  makes  a  distant 
mark,  and  that  miscreant  showed  little  more  than  his  head 
and  shoulders  above  the  bushes,  and  an  onpractysed  hand 
and  eye  might  have  failed.  You  should  have  thought  of 
this,  chief — you  should  have  thought  of  this  !  " 

"  The  Great  Serpent  is  a  Mohican  warrior  ;  he  sees  only 
his  enemies,  when  he  is  on  the  war-path,  and  his  fathers 
have  struck  the  Mingos  from  behind,  since  the  waters  began 
to  run ! " 

"  I  know  your  gifts — I  know  your  gifts,  and  respect  them, 
too.  No  man  shall  hear  me  complain  that  a  redskin  obsarved 
redskin  natur*,  but  prudence  as  much  becomes  a  warrior  as 
valor ;  and  had  not  the  Iroquois  devils  been  looking  after 
their  friends  who  were  in  the  water,  a  hot  trail  they  would 
have  made  of  your' n  !  " 

"What  is  the  Delaware  about  to  do  ?  "  exclaimed  Jasper, 
who  observed,  at  that  moment,  that  the  chief  suddenly  left 
the  Pathfinder,  and  advanced  to  the  water's  edge,  apparently 
with  an  intention  of  again  entering  the  river.  ' '  He  will 
not  be  so  mad  as  to  return  to  the  other  shore  for  any  trifle 
he  may  have  forgotten  !  " 

76 


patbfin&er  77 


"Not  he — not  he;  he  is  as  prudent  as  he  is  brave,  in 
the  main,  though  so  forgetful  of  himself  in  the  late  ambush- 
ment.  Harkee,  Jasper,"  leading  the  other  a  little  aside 
just  as  they  heard  the  Indian's  plunge  into  the  water, 
"  harkee,  lad  ;  Chingachgook  is  not  a  Christian  white  man, 
like  ourselves,  but  a  Mohican  chief,  who  has  his  gifts  and 
traditions  to  tell  him  what  he  ought  to  do  ;  and  he  who 
consorts  with  them  that  are  not  strictly  and  altogether  of 
his  own  kind,  had  better  leave  natur'  and  use  to  govern  his 
comrades.  A  king's  soldier  will  swear,  and  he  will  drink, 
and  it  is  of  little  use  to  try  to  prevent  him  ;  a  gentleman 
likes  his  delicacies,  and  a  lady  her  feathers,  and  it  does  not 
avail  much  to  struggle  ag'in  either;  whereas  an  Indian's 
natur'  and  gifts  are  much  stronger  than  these,  and  no  doubt 
were  bestowed  by  the  Lord  for  wise  ends,  though  neither 
you  nor  me  can  follow  them  in  all  their  windings." 

' '  What  does  this  mean  ?  See,  the  Delaware  is  swimming 
towards  the  body,  that  is  lodged  on  the  rock.  Why  does  he 
risk  this?" 

' '  For  honor,  and  glory,  and  renown,  as  great  gentlemen 
quit  their  quiet  homes,  beyond  seas,  where,  as  they  tell  me, 
heart  has  nothing  left  to  wish  for,  that  is,  such  hearts  as  can 
be  satisfied  in  a  clearin',  to  come  hither  to  live  on  game  and 
fight  the  Frenchers." 

' '  I  understand  you  ;  your  friend  has  gone  to  secure  the 
scalp." 

"  'Tis  his  gift,  and  let  him  enjoy  it.  We  are  white  men, 
and  cannot  mangle  a  dead  enemy ;  but  it  is  honor  in  the 
eyes  of  a  redskin  to  do  so.  It  may  seem  singular  to  you, 
Eau-douce,  but  I  've  known  white  men  of  great  name  and 
character  manifest  as  remarkable  ideas  consarning  their 
honor,  I  have." 

"A  savage  will  be  a  savage,  Pathfinder,  let  him  keep 
what  company  he  may." 

"  It  is  well  for  us  to  say  so,  lad,  but,  as  I  tell  you,  white 
honor  will  not  always  conform  to  reason,  or  to  the  will  of 
God.  I  have  passed  days  thinking  of  them  matters,  out  in 
the  silent  woods,  and  I  have  come  to  the  opinion,  boy,  that, 
as  Providence  rules  all  things,  no  gift  is  bestowed  without 


78 


some  wise  and  reasonable  end.  If  Injins  are  of  no  use, 
Injins  would  not  have  been  created ;  and  I  do  suppose, 
could  one  dive  to  the  bottom  of  things,  it  would  be  found 
that  even  the  Mingo  tribes  were  produced  for  some  rational 
and  proper  purpose,  though  I  confess  it  surpasses  my  means 
to  say  what  it  is." 

"The  Serpent  greatly  exposes  himself  to  the  enemy,  in 
order  to  get  his  scalp  !  This  may  lose  us  the  day." 

"Not  in  his  mind,  Jasper.  That  one  scalp  has  more 
honor  in  it,  according  to  the  Sarpent's  notions  of  warfare, 
than  a  field  covered  with  slain,  that  kept  the  hair  on  their 
heads.  Now,  there  was  the  fine  young  captain  of  the  6oth 
that  threw  away  his  life,  in  trying  to  bring  off  a  three- 
pounder  from  among  the  Frenchers,  in  the  last  skrimmage 
we  had ;  he  thought  he  was  sarving  honor ;  and  I  have 
known  a  young  ensign  wrap  himself  up  in  his  colors,  and 
go  to  sleep  in  his  blood,  fancying  that  he  was  lying  on  some- 
thing softer  even  than  buffalo- skins  ! ' ' 

' '  Yes,  yes  ;  one  can  understand  the  merit  of  not  hauling 
down  an  ensign." 

"And  these  are  Chingachgook's  colors;  he  will  keep 
them  to  show  his  children's  children" —  Here  the  Path- 
finder interrupted  himself,  shook  his  head  in  melancholy, 
and  slowly  added,  "  A.h  's  me  !  no  shoot  of  the  old  Mohican 
stem  remains  !  He  has  no  children  to  delight  with  his  tro- 
phies ;  no  tribe  to  honor  by  his  deeds  ;  he  is  a  lone  man  in 
this  world,  and  yet  he  stands  true  to  his  training  and  his 
gifts  !  There  is  something  honest  and  respectable  in  these, 
you  must  allow,  Jasper ;  yes,  there  is  something  decent  in 
that." 

X  Here  a  great  outcry  from  among  the  Iroquois  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  quick  reports  of  their  rifles ;  and  so  eager 
did  the  enemy  become,  in  the  desire  to  drive  the  Delaware 
back  from  his  victim,  that  a  dozen  rushed  into  the  river, 
several  of  whom  even  advanced  near  a  hundred  feet  into  the 
foaming  current,  as  if  they  actually  meditated  a  serious 
sortie.  But  Chingachgook  continued  as  unmoved,  as  he 
remained  unhurt  by  the  missiles,  accomplishing  his  task  with 
the  dexterity  of  long  habit.  Flourishing  his  reeking  trophy, 


Ube  [patbfin&er  79 


he  gave  the  war-whoop  in  its  most  frightful  intonations,  and 
for  a  minute  the  arches  of  the  silent  woods,  and  the  deep 
vista  formed  by  the  course  of  the  river,  echoed  with  cries  so 
terrific  that  Mabel  bowed  her  head  in  irrepressible  fear,  while 
her  uncle  for  a  single  instant  actually  meditated  flight. 

"This  surpasses  all  I  have  heard  from  the  wretches," 
Jasper  exclaimed,  stopping  his  ears,  equally  in  horror  and 
disgust. 

'  'T  is  their  music,  boy  ;  their  drum  and  fife,  their  trump- 
ets and  clarions.  No  doubt  they  love  them  sounds,  for  they 
stir  up  in  them  fierce  feelings,  and  a  desire  for  blood,"  re- 
turned the  Pathfinder,  totally  unmoved.  ' '  I  thought  them 
rather  frightful  when  a  mere  youngster,  but  they  have  got  to 
be  like  the  whistle  of  the  whippoorwill,  or  the  song  of  the 
catbird  in  my  ear,  now.  All  the  screeching  riptyles  that 
could  stand  atween  the  falls  and  the  garrison,  would  have 
no  effect  on  my  narves,  at  this  time  of  day.  I  say  it  not  in 
boasting,  Jasper,  for  the  man  that  lets  in  cowardice  through 
the  ears,  must  have  but  a  weak  heart,  at  the  best ;  sounds 
and  outcries  being  more  intended  to  alarm  women  and  chil- 
dren, than  such  as  scout  the  forest,  and  face  the  foe.  I  hope 
the  Sarpent  is  now  satisfied,  for  here  he  comes  with  the 
scalp  at  his  belt. ' ' 

Jasper  turned  away  his  head  as  the  Delaware  rose  from 
the  water,  in  pure  disgust  at  his  late  errand,  but  the  Path- 
finder regarded  his  friend  with  the  philosophical  coolness  of 
one  who  had  made  up  his  mind  to  be  indifferent  to  things 
he  deemed  immaterial.  As  the  Delaware  passed  deeper 
into  the  bushes,  with  a  view  to  wring  his  trifling  calico  dress, 
and  to  prepare  his  rifle  for  service,  he  gave  one  glance  of 
triumph  at  his  companions,  and  then  all  emotion  connected 
with  the  recent  exploit  seemed  to  cease. 

' '  Jasper, ' '  resumed  the  guide,  ' '  step  down  to  the  station 
of  Master  Cap,  and  ask  him  to  join  us ;  we  have  little  time 
for  a  council,  and  yet  our  'plans  must  be  laid  quickly,  for  it 
will  not  be  long  before  them  Mingos  will  be  plotting  our 
ruin." 

The  young  man  complied,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  four 
were  assembled  near  the  shore,  completely  concealed  from 


Ube 


the  view  of  their  enemies,  while  they  kept  a  vigilant  watch 
over  the  proceedings  of  the  latter  in  order  to  consult  on  their 
own  future  movements. 

By  this  time  the  day  had  so  far  advanced,  as  to  leave  but 
a  few  minutes  between  the  passing  light  and  an  obscurity 
that  promised  to  be  even  deeper  than  common.  The  sun  had 
already  set,  and  the  twilight  of  a  low  latitude  would  soon 
pass  into  the  darkness  of  deep  night.  Most  of  the  hopes 
of  the  party  rested  on  this  favorable  circumstance,  though  it 
was  not  without  its  dangers  also,  as  the  very  obscurity  which 
would  favor  their  escape  would  be  as  likely  to  conceal  the 
movements  of  their  wily  enemies. 

' '  The  moment  has  come,  men, ' '  Pathfinder  commenced, 
"  when  our  plans  must  be  coolly  laid,  in  order  that  we  may 
act  together,  and  with  a  right  understanding  of  our  errand 
and  gifts.  In  an  hour's  time,  these  woods  will  be  as  dark  as 
midnight,  and  if  we  are  ever  to  gain  the  garrison,  it  must  be 
done  under  favor  of  this  advantage.  What  say  you,  Master 
Cap  ?  For  though  none  of  the  most  exper'enced  in  combats 
and  retreats  in  the  woods,  your  years  entitle  you  to  speak 
first,  in  a  matter  like  this,  and  in  a  council." 

"  And  my  near  relationship  to  Mabel,  Pathfinder,  ought  to 
count  for  something — " 

"I  don't  know  that — I  don't  know  that.  Regard  is  re- 
gard, and  liking,  liking,  whether  it  be  a  gift  of  natur',  or 
come  from  one's  own  judgment  and  inclinations.  I  will  say 
nothing  for  the  Sarpent,  who  is  past  placing  his  mind  on  the 
women  ;  but  as  for  Jasper  and  myself,  we  are  as  ready  to 
stand  atween  the  sergeant's  daughter  and  the  Mingos  as  her 
own  brave  father  himself  could  be.  Do  I  say  more  than  the 
truth,  lad?" 

"  Mabel  may  count  on  me  to  the  last  drop  of  my  blood," 
said  Jasper,  speaking  low,  but  with  intense  feeling. 

"Well,  well,"  rejoined  the  uncle,  "we  will  not  discuss 
this  matter,  as  all  seem  willing  to  serve  the  girl,  and  deeds 
are  better  than  words.  In  my  judgment,  all  we  have  to  do 
is  to  go  on  board  the  canoe,  when  it  gets  to  be  so  dark  the 
enemy's  lookouts  can't  see  us,  and  run  for  the  haven  as  wind 
and  tide  will  allow. 


jfratbfmber  81 


' '  That  is  easily  said,  but  not  so  easily  done, ' '  returned  the 
guide.  ' '  We  shall  be  more  exposed  in  the  river  than  by  fol- 
lowing the  woods,  and  then  there  is  the  Oswego  rift  below 
us,  and  I  am  far  from  sartain  that  Jasper  himself  can  carry  a 
boat  safely  through  it,  in  the  dark.  What  say  you,  lad,  as 
to  your  own  skill  and  judgment  ?  " 

"I  am  of  Master  Cap's  opinion  about  using  the  canoe. 
Mabel  is  too  tender  to  walk  through  swamps,  and  among 
roots  of  trees,  in  such  a  night  as  this  promises  to  be,  and 
then  I  always  feel  myself  stouter  of  heart,  and  truer  of  eye 
when  afloat  than  when  ashore." 

' '  Stout  of  heart  you  always  be,  lad,  and  I  think  tolerably 
true  of  eye  for  one  who  has  lived  so  much  in  broad  sunshine, 
and  so  little  in  the  woods.  Ah  's  me  !  the  Ontario  has  no 
trees,  or  it  would  be  a  plain  to  delight  a  hunter's  heart ! 
As  to  your  opinion,  friends,  there  is  much  for,  and  much 
ag'inst  it.  For  it,  it  may  be  said  water  leaves  no  trail — " 

' '  What  do  you  call  the  wake  ?  ' '  interrupted  the  pertina- 
cious and  dogmatical  Cap. 

' '  Anan  ? ' ' 

"Go  on,"  said  Jasper  ;  "  Master  Cap  thinks  he  is  on  the 
ocean  ;  water  leaves  no  trail — ' ' 

"  It  leaves  none,  Eau-douce,  hereaway,  though  I  do  not 
pretend  to  say  what  it  may  leave  on  the  sea.  Then  a  canoe 
is  both  swift  and  easy,  when  it  floats  with  the  current,  and 
the  tender  limbs  of  the  sergeant's  daughter  will  be  favored  by 
its  motion.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  river  will  have  no 
cover  but  the  clouds  in  the  heavens,  the  rift  is  a  ticklish  thing 
for  boats  to  venture  into,  even  by  daylight,  and  it  is  six  fairly 
measured  miles,  by  water,  from  this  spot  to  the  garrison. 
Then  a  trail  on  land  is  not  easy  to  be  found  in  the  dark.  I 
am  troubled,  Jasper,  to  say  which  way  we  ought  to  counsel 
and  advise."  . 

' '  If  the  Serpent  and  myself  could  swim  into  the  river, 
and  bring  off  the  other  canoe,"  the  young  sailor  replied,  "it 
would  seem  to  me  that  our  safest  course  would  be  the 
water." 

"  If,  indeed  !  and  yet  it  might  easily  be  done,  as  soon  as 
it  is  a  little  darker.  Well,  well,  considering  the  sergeant's 


82  Ube  patbtmfcer 


daughter,  and  her  gifts,  I  am  not  sartain  it  will  not  be  the 
best.  Though,  were  we  only  a  party  of  men,  it  would  bo 
like  a  hunt  to  the  lusty  and  brave,  to  play  at  hide-and-seek 
with  yonder  miscreants,  on  the  other  shore.  Jasper,"  con- 
tinued the  guide,  into  whose  character  there  entered  no 
ingredient  that  belonged  to  vain  display  or  theatrical  effect, 
"  will  you  undertake  to  bring  in  the  canoe  ?  " 

"I  will  undertake  anything  that  will  serve  and  protect 
Mabel,  Pathfinder." 

"That  is  an  upright  feeling,  and  I  suppose  it  is  natur'. 
The  Sarpent,  who  is  nearly  naked  already,  can  help  you,  and 
this  will  be  cutting  off  one  of  the  means  of  them  devils  to 
work  their  harm." 

This  material  point  being  settled,  the  different  members  of 
the  party  prepared  themselves  to  put  the  project  into  execu- 
tion. The  shades  of  evening  fell  fast  upon  the  forest,  and  by 
the  time  all  was  ready  for  the  attempt,  it  was  found  impos- 
sible to  discern  objects  on  the  opposite  shore.  Time  now 
pressed,  for  Indian  cunning  could  devise  so  many  expedients 
for  passing  so  narrow  a  stream,  that  the  Pathfinder  was  get- 
ting impatient  to  quit  the  spot.  While  Jasper  and  his  com- 
panion entered  the  river,  armed  with  nothing  but  their  knives 
and  the  Delaware's  tomahawk,  observing  the  greatest  caution 
not  to  betray  their  movements,  the  guide  brought  Mabel  from 
her  place  of  concealment,  and  bidding  her  and  Cap  proceed 
along  the  shore  to  the  foot  of  the  rapids,  he  got  into  the  canoe 
that  remained  in  his  possession,  in  order  to  carry  it  to  the 
same  place. 

This  was  easily  effected.  The  canoe  was  laid  against  the 
bank,  and  Mabel  and  her  uncle  entered  it,  taking  their  seats 
as  usual ;  while  the  Pathfinder,  erect  in  the  stern,  held  by  a 
bush,  in  order  to  prevent  the  swift  stream  from  sweeping 
them  down  its  current.  Several  minutes  of  intense  and 
breathless  expectation  followed,  while  they  awaited  the  re- 
sult of  the  bold  attempt  of  their  comrades. 

It  will  be  understood  that  the  two  adventurers  were  com- 
pelled to  swim  across  a  deep  and  rapid  channel,  ere  they 
could  reach  a  part  of  the  rift  that  admitted  of  wading.  This 
portion  of  the  enterprise  was  soon  effected  ;  and  Jasper  and 


TTbe  Jpatbfinfcer  83 


the  Serpent  struck  the  bottom,  side  by  side,  at  the  same 
instant.  Having  secured  firm  footing,  they  took  hold  of 
each  other's  hands,  and  waded  slowly  and  with  extreme  cau- 
tion, in  the  supposed  direction  of  the  canoe.  But  the  dark- 
ness was  already  so  deep,  that  they  soon  ascertained  they 
were  to  be  but  little  aided  by  the  sense  of  sight,  and  that 
their  search  must  be  conducted  on  that  species  of  instinct 
which  enables  the  woodsman  to  find  his  way,  when  the  sun 
is  hid,  no  stars  appear,  and  all  would  seem  chaos  to  one  less 
accustomed  to  the  mazes  of  the  forest.  Under  these  circum- 
stances, Jasper  submitted  to  be  guided  by  the  Delaware, 
whose  habits  best  fitted  him  to  take  the  lead.  Still  it  was  no 
easy  matter  to  wade  amid  the  roaring  element  at  that  hour, 
and  retain  a  clear  recollection  of  the  localities.  By  the  time 
they  believed  themselves  to  be  in  the  centre  of  the  stream,  the 
two  shores  were  discernible  merely  by  masses  of  obscurity 
denser  than  common,  the  outlines  against  the  clouds  being 
barely  distinguishable  by  the  ragged  tops  of  the  trees. 
Once  or  twice  the  wanderers  altered  their  course,  in  conse- 
quence of  unexpectedly  stepping  into  deep  water,  for  they 
knew  that  the  boat  had  lodged  on  the  shallowest  part  of  the 
rift.  In  short,  with  this  fact  for  their  compass,  Jasper  and 
his  companion  wandered  about  in  the  water  for  near  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour,  and  at  the  end  of  that  period,  which  began  to 
appear  interminable  to  the  young  man,  they  found  themselves 
apparently  no  nearer  the  object  of  their  search  than  they  had 
been  at  its  commencement.  Just  as  the  Delaware  was  about 
to  stop,  in  order  to  inform  his  associate  that  they  would  do 
well  to  return  to  the  land,  in  order  to  take  a  fresh  departure,  he 
saw  the  form  of  a  man,  moving  about  in  the  water,  almost 
within  reach  of  his  arm.  Jasper  was  at  his  side,  and  he  at 
once  understood  that  the  Iroquois  were  engaged  on  the  same 
errand  as  he  was  himself. 

"  Mingo  !  "  he  uttered  in  Jasper's  ear  ;  "  the  Serpent  will 
show  his  brother  how  to  be  cunning. ' ' 

The  young  sailor  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  figure  at  that 
instant,  and  the  startling  truth  also  flashed  on  his  mind. 
Understanding  the  necessity  of  trusting  all  to  the  Delaware 
chief,  he  kept  back,  while  his  friend  moved  cautiously  in  the 


84 


direction  in  which  the  strange  form  had  vanished.  In 
another  moment,  it  was  seen  again,  evidently  moving  to- 
wards themselves.  The  waters  made  such  an  uproar,  that 
little  was  to  be  apprehended  from  ordinary  sounds,  and  the 
Indian,  turning  his  head,  hastily  said, — 

"  Leave  it  to  the  cunning  of  the  Great  Serpent." 

"  Hugh  !  "  exclaimed  the  strange  savage,  adding,  in  the 
language  of  his  people,  "the  canoe  is  found,  but  there  were 
none  to  help  me.  Come,  let  us  raise  it  from  the  rock." 

"Willingly,"  answered  Chingachgook,  who  understood 
the  dialect,  "  lead  ;  we  will  follow." 

The  stranger,  unable  to  distinguish  between  voices  and 
accents,  amid  the  raging  of  the  rapid,  led  the  way  in  the 
necessary  direction,  and,  the  two  others  keeping  close  at  his 
heels,  all  three  speedily  reached  the  canoe.  The  Iroquois 
laid  hold  of  one  end,  Chingachgook  placed  himself  in  the 
centre,  and  Jasper  went  to  the  opposite  extremity,  as  it  was 
important  that  the  stranger  should  not  detect  the  presence 
of  a  pale-face,  a  discovery  that  might  be  made,  by  the 
parts  of  the  dress  the  young  man  still  wore,  as  well  as  by  the 
general  appearance  of  his  head. 

"  lyift,"  said  the  Iroquois,  in  the  sententious  manner  of  his 
race ;  and  by  a  trifling  effort  the  canoe  was  raised  from  the 
rock,  held  a  moment  in  the  air  to  empty  it,  and  then  placed 
carefully  on  the  water,  in  its  proper  position.  All  three  held 
it  firmly,  lest  it  should  escape  from  their  hands,  under  the 
pressure  of  the  violent  current ;  while  the  Iroquois,  who  led 
of  course,  being  at  the  upper  end  of  the  boat,  took  the  direc- 
tion of  the  eastern  shore,  or  towards  the  spot  where  his 
friends  waited  his  return. 

As  the  Delaware  and  Jasper  well  knew  there  must  be  sev- 
eral more  of  the  Iroquois  on  the  rift,  from  the  circumstance 
that  their  own  appearance  had  occasioned  no  surprise  in  the 
individual  they  had  met,  both  felt  the  necessity  of  extreme 
caution.  Men  less  bold  and  determined  would  have  thought 
that  they  were  incurring  too  great  a  risk,  by  thus  venturing 
into  the  midst  of  their  enemies ;  but  these  hardy  borderers 
were  unacquainted  with  fear,  were  accustomed  to  hazard,  and 
so  well  understood  the  necessity  of  at  least  preventing  their 


ZTbe  patbfinfcer  85 


foes  from  getting  the  boat,  that  they  would  have  cheerfully 
encountered  even  greater  risks  to  secure  their  object.  So 
all-important  to  the  safety  of  Mabel,  indeed,  did  Jasper  deem 
the  possession  or  the  destruction  of  this  canoe,  that  he 
had  drawn  his  knife,  and  stood  ready  to  rip  up  the  bark,  in 
order  to  render  the  boat  temporarily  unserviceable,  should 
anything  occur  to  compel  the  Delaware  and  himself  to 
abandon  their  prize. 

In  the  meantime,  the  Iroquois,  who  led  the  way,  pro- 
ceeded slowly  through  the  water  in  the  direction  of  his  own 
party,  still  grasping  the  canoe,  and  dragging  his  reluctant 
followers  in  his  train.  Once,  Chingachgook  raised  his  toma- 
hawk and  was  about  to  bury  it  in  the  brain  of  his  confiding 
and  unsuspicious  neighbor,  but  the  probability  that  the 
death-cry  or  the  floating  body  might  give  the  alarm,  induced 
that  wary  chief  to  change  his  purpose.  At  the  next  moment 
he  regretted  this  indecision,  for  the  three  who  clung  to  the 
canoe  suddenly  found  themselves  in  the  centre  of  a  party  of 
no  less  than  four  others  who  were  in  quest  of  it. 

After  the  usual  brief,  characteristic  exclamations  of  satis- 
faction, the  savages  eagerly  laid  hold  of  the  canoe,  for  all 
seemed  impressed  with  the  necessity  of  securing  this  impor- 
tant boat,  the  one  side  in  order  to  assail  their  foes,  and  the 
other  to  secure  their  retreat.  The  addition  to  the  party, 
however,  was  so  unlocked  for,  and  so  completely  gave  the 
enemy  the  superiority,  that,  for  a  few  moments,  the  ingenu- 
ity and  address  of  even  the  Delaware  were  at  fault.  The 
five  Iroquois,  who  seemed  perfectly  to  understand  their 
errand,  pressed  forward  towards  their  own  shore,  without 
pausing  to  converse  ;  their  object  being  in  truth  to  obtain  the 
paddles,  which  they  had  previously  secured,  and  to  embark 
three  or  four  warriors,  with  all  their  rifles  and  powder-horns, 
the  want  of  which  had  alone  prevented  their  crossing  the 
river  by  swimming  as  soon  as  it  was  dark. 

In  this  manner  the  body  of  friends  and  foes  united  reached 
the  margin  of  the  eastern  channel,  where,  in  the  case  of  the 
western,  the  river  was  too  deep  to  be  waded.  Here  a  short 
pause  succeeded,  it  being  necessary  to  determine  the  manner 
in  which  the  canoe  was  to  be  carried  across.  One  of  the  four 


86  Ube  patbfiu&er 


who  had  just  reached  the  boat,  was  a  chief,  and  the  habitual 
deference  which  the  American  Indian  pays  to  merit,  experi- 
ence, and  station,  kept  the  others  silent  until  this  individual 
had  spoken. 

The  halt  greatly  added  to  the  danger  of  discovering  the 
presence  of  Jasper,  in  particular,  who,  however,  had  the  pre- 
caution to  throw  the  cap  he  wore  into  the  bottom  of  the 
canoe.  Being  without  his  jacket  and  shirt,  the  outline  of 
his  figure,  in  the  obscurity,  would  now  be  less  likely  to  attract 
observation.  His  position,  too,  at  the  stern  of  the  canoe,  a 
little  favored  his  concealment,  the  Iroquois  naturally  keeping 
their  looks  directed  the  other  way.  Not  so  with  Chingach- 
gook.  This  warrior  was  literally  in  the  midst  of  his  most 
deadly  foes,  and  he  could  scarcely  stir  without  touching  one 
of  them.  Yet  he  was  apparently  unmoved,  though  he  kept 
all  his  senses  on  the  alert,  in  readiness  to  escape,  or  to  strike 
a  blow  at  the  proper  moment.  By  carefully  abstaining  from 
looking  towards  those  behind  him,  he  lessened  the  chances 
of  discovery,  and  waited  with  the  indomitable  patience 
of  an  Indian  for  the  instant  when  he  should  be  required 
to  act. 

' '  Let  ah1  my  young  men,  but  two,  one  at  each  end  of  the 
canoe,  cross  and  get  their  arms,"  said  the  Iroquois  chief. 
"Let  the  two  push  over  the  boat." 

The  Indians  quietly  obeyed,  leaving  Jasper  at  the  stern, 
and  the  Iroquois  who  had  found  the  canoe  at  the  bow  of  the 
light  craft,  Chingachgook  burying  himself  so  deep  in  the 
river,  as  to  be  passed  by  the  others  without  detection.  The 
splashing  in  the  water,  the  tossing  arms  and  the  calls  of  one 
to  another,  soon  announced  that  the  four  who  had  last  joined 
the  party  were  already  swimming.  As  soon  as  this  fact  was 
certain,  the  Delaware  rose,  resumed  his  former  station,  and 
began  to  think  the  moment  for  action  was  come. 

One  less  habitually  under  self-restraint  than  this  warrior 
would  probably  have  now  aimed  his  meditated  blow ;  but 
Chingachgook  knew  there  were  more  Iroquois  behind  him 
on  the  rift,  and  he  was  a  warrior  much  too  trained  and  ex- 
perienced to  risk  anything  unnecessarily.  He  suffered  the 
Indian  at  the  bow  of  the  canoe  to  push  off  into  the  deep 


TOe  patbfinfcer  87 


water,  and  then  all  three  were  swimming  in  the  direction  of 
the  eastern  shore.  Instead,  however,  of  helping  the  canoe 
across  the  swift  current,  no  sooner  did  the  Delaware  and 
Jasper  find  themselves  within  the  influence  of  its  greatest 
force,  than  both  began  to  swim  in  a  way  to  check  their 
farther  progress  across  the  stream.  Nor  was  this  done  sud- 
denly, or  in  the  incautious  manner  in  which  a  civilized  man 
would  have  been  apt  to  attempt  the  artifice,  but  warily,  and 
so  gradually  that  the  Iroquois  at  the  bow  fancied  at  first  he 
was  merely  struggling  against  the  strength  of  the  current. 
Of  course,  while  acted  on  by  these  opposing  efforts,  the 
canoe  drifted  down  stream,  and  in  about  a  minute  it  was 
floating  in  still  deeper  water  at  the  foot  of  the  rift.  Here, 
however,  the  Iroquois  was  not  slow  in  finding  that  some- 
thing unusual  retarded  their  advance,  and  looking  back,  he 
first  learned  that  he  was  resisted  by  the  efforts  of  his  com- 
panions. 

That  second  nature,  which  grows  up  through  habit,  in- 
stantly told  the  young  Iroquois  that  he  was  alone  with  ene- 
mies. Dashing  the  water  aside,  he  sprang  at  the  throat  of 
Chingachgook,  and  the  two  Indians,  relinquishing  their  hold 
of  the  canoe,  seized  each  other  like  tigers.  In  the  midst  of 
the  darkness  of  that  gloomy  night,  and  floating  in  an  element 
so  dangerous  to  man,  when  engaged  in  deadly  strife,  they 
appeared  to  forget  everything  but  their  fell  animosity,  and 
their  mutual  desire  to  conquer. 

Jasper  had  now  complete  command  of  the  canoe,  which 
flew  off  like  a  feather  impelled  by  the  breath,  under  the 
violent  reaction  of  the  struggles  of  the  two  combatants.  The 
first  impulse  of  the  youth  was  to  swim  to  the  aid  of  the 
Delaware,  but  the  importance  of  securing  the  boat  presented 
itself  with  tenfold  force,  while  he  listened  to  the  heavy 
breathings  of  the  warriors  as  they  throttled  each  other,  and 
he  proceeded  as  fast  as  possible  towards  the  western  shore. 
This  he  soon  reached,  and  after  a  short  search,  he  succeeded 
in  discovering  the  remainder  of  the  party,  and  in  procuring 
his  clothes.  A  few  words  sufficed  to  explain  the  situation  in 
which  he  had  left  the  Delaware,  and  the  manner  in  which 
the  canoe  had  been  obtained. 


88  ftbe  patbfinfcer 


When  those  who  had  been  left  behind  had  heard  the 
explanations  of  Jasper,  a  profound  stillness  reigned  among 
them,  each  listening  intently,  in  the  vain  hope  of  catching 
some  clue  to  the  result  of  the  fearful  struggle  that  had  just 
taken  place,  if  it  were  not  still  going  on  in  the  water. 
Nothing  was  audible  beyond  the  steady  roar  of  the  rushing 
river ;  it  being  a  part  of  the  policy  of  their  enemies  on  the 
opposite  shore  to  observe  the  most  deathlike  stillness. 

"Take  this  paddle,  Jasper,"  said  Pathfinder,  calmly, 
though  the  listeners  thought  his  voice  sounded  more  melan- 
choly than  usual,  "  and  follow  with  your  own  canoe.  It  is 
unsafe  for  us  to  remain  here  longer." 

"But  the  Serpent?" 

"The  Great  Sarpent  is  in  the  hands  of  his  own  Deity,  and 
will  live  or  die  according  to  the  intentions  of  Providence. 
We  can  do  him  no  good,  and  may  risk  too  much  by  remain- 
ing here  in  idleness,  like  women  talking  over  their  distresses. 
This  darkness  is  very  precious — ' ' 

A  loud,  long,  piercing  yell  came  from  the  shore,  and  cut 
short  the  words  of  the  guide. 

' '  What  is  the  meaning  of  that  uproar,  Master  Pathfinder  ? ' ' 
demanded  Cap.  "  It  sounds  more  like  the  outcries  of  devils 
than  anything  that  can  come  from  the  throats  of  Christians 
and  men." 

' '  Christians  they  are  not,  and  do  not  pretend  to  be,  and 
do  not  wish  to  be  ;  and  in  calling  them  devils  you  have 
scarcely  misnamed  them.  That  yell  is  one  of  rejoicing,  and 
it  is  as  conquerors  they  have  given  it.  The  body  of  the 
Sarpent,  no  doubt,  dead  or  alive,  is  in  their  power  !  " 

"And  we  !  "  exclaimed  Jasper,  who  felt  a  pang  of  gener- 
ous regret,  as  the  idea  that  he  might  have  averted  the 
calamity  presented  itself  to  his  mind,  had  he  not  deserted  his 
comrade. 

"We  can  do  the  chief  no  good,  lad,  and  must  quit  this 
spot  as  fast  as  possible." 

"Without  one  attempt  to  rescue  him! — without  even 
knowing  whether  he  be  dead  or  living  ? ' ' 

"Jasper  is  right,"  said  Mabel,  who  could  speak,  though 
her  voice  sounded  huskily  and  smothered ;  "  I  have  no  fears, 


jpatbfinfcer  89 


uncle,  and  will  stay  here  until  we  know  what  has  become  of 
our  friend." 

' '  This  seems  reasonable,  Pathfinder, ' '  put  in  Cap.  ' '  Your 
true  seaman  cannot  well  desert  a  messmate  ;  and  I  am  glad 
to  find  that  motives  so  correct  exist  among  those  fresh- water 
people." 

' '  Tut,  tut  ! ' '  returned  the  impatient  guide,  forcing  the 
canoe  into  the  stream  as  he  spoke  ;  "ye  know  nothing,  and 
ye  fear  nothing.  If  ye  value  your  lives,  think  of  reaching 
the  garrison,  and  leave  the  Delaware  in  the  hands  of  Provi- 
dence. Ah  's  me  !  The  deer  that  goes  too  often  to  the  lick 
meets  the  hunter  at  last !  " 


CHAPTER  VII. 

"  And  is  this  Yarrow  ?  this  the  stream 
Of  which  my  fancy  cherished 
So  faithfully  a  waking  dream  ? 
An  image  that  hath  perished  ? 
O  that  some  minstrel's  harp  were  near, 
To  utter  notes  of  gladness, 
And  chase  this  silence  from  the  air, 
That  fills  my  soul  with  sadness." 

WORDSWORTH. 

THE  scene  was  not  without  its  sublimity ;  and  the 
ardent,  generous-minded  Mabel  felt  her  blood  thrill 
in  her  veins,  and  her  cheeks  flush,  as  the  canoe 
shot  into  the  strength  of  the  stream  to  quit  the 
spot.  The  darkness  of  the  night  had  lessened  by  the  disper- 
sion of  the  clouds ;  but  the  overhanging  woods  rendered  the 
shores  so  obscure  that  the  boats  floated  down  the  current  in  a 
belt  of  gloom  that  effectually  secured  them  from  detection. 
Still,  there  was  necessarily  a  strong  feeling  of  insecurity  in 
all  on  board  them  ;  and  even  Jasper,  who  by  this  time  began 
to  tremble  in  behalf  of  the  girl,  at  every  unusual  sound  that 
arose  from  the  forest,  kept  casting  uneasy  glances  around 
him,  as  he  drifted  on,  in  company.  The  paddle  was  used 
lightly,  and  only  with  exceeding  care,  for  the  slightest  sound, 
in  the  breathing  stillness  of  that  hour  and  place,  might 
apprise  the  watchful  ears  of  the  Iroquois  of  their  position. 

All  the  accessories  added  to  the  impressive  grandeur  of 
her  situation,  and  contributed  to  render  the  moment  much 
the  most  exciting  that  had  ever  occurred  in  the  brief  existence 
of  Mabel  Dunham.  Spirited,  accustomed  to  self-reliance, 
and  sustained  by  the  pride  of  considering  herself  a  soldier's 
daughter,  she  could  hardly  be  said  to  be  under  the  influence 
90 


Ube  jpatbffnfcer  9i 


of  fear ;  yet  her  heart  often  beat  quicker  than  common,  her 
fine  blue  eye  lighted  with  an  exhibition  of  a  resolution  that 
was  wasted  in  the  darkness,  and  her  quickened  feelings  came 
in  aid  of  the  real  sublimity  that  belonged  to  the  scene,  and 
to  the  incidents  of  the  night. 

"Mabel!"  said  the  suppressed  voice  of  Jasper,  as  the 
two  canoes  floated  so  near  each  other  that  the  hand  of  the 
young  man  held  them  together,  ' '  you  have  no  dread,  you 
trust  freely  to  our  care,  and  willingness  to  protect  you  ?  " 

"  I  am  a  soldier's  daughter,  as  you  know,  Jasper  Western, 
and  ought  to  be  ashamed  to  confess  fear." 

"  Rely  on  me — on  us  all.  Your  uncle,  Pathfinder,  the 
Delaware,  were  the  poor  fellow  here,  I  myself,  will  risk 
everything  rather  than  harm  should  reach  you." 

"I  believe  you,  Jasper,"  returned  the  girl,  her  hand  un- 
consciously playing  in  the  water.  "  I  know  that  my  uncle 
loves  me,  and  will  never  think  of  himself  until  he  has  first 
thought  of  me;  and  I  believe  you  are  all  my  father's 
friends,  and  would  willingly  assist  his  child.  But  I  am  not 
so  feeble  and  weak-minded  as  you  may  think ;  for  though 
only  a  girl  from  the  towns,  and,  like  most  of  that  class,  a 
little  disposed  to  see  danger  where  there  is  none,  I  promise 
you,  Jasper,  no  foolish  fears  of  mine  shall  stand  in  the  way 
of  your  doing  your  duty." 

"  The  sergeant's  daughter  is  right,  and  she  is  worthy  of 
being  honest  Thomas  Dunham's  child,"  put  in  the  Path- 
finder. "Ah 's  me  !  pretty  one,  many  is  the  time  that  your 
father  and  I  have  scouted  and  marched  together  on  the 
flanks  and  rear  of  the  enemy,  in  nights  darker  than  this, 
and  that,  too,  when  we  did  not  know  but  the  next  moment 
would  lead  us  into  a  bloody  ambushment.  I  was  at  his 
side  when  he  got  the  wound  in  his  shoulder,  and  the  honest 
fellow  will  tell  you,  when  you  meet,  the  manner  in  which 
we  contrived  to  cross  the  river  that  lay  in  our  rear,  iia  order 
to  save  his  scalp. ' ' 

"He  has  told  me,"  said  Mabel,  with  more  energy  per- 
haps than  her  situation  rendered  prudent.  "  I  have  his 
letters,  in  which  he  has  mentioned  all  that,  and  I  s'Hank 
you  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  for  the  service.  Ood 


92  Ube  patbfinfcer 


will  remember  it,  Pathfinder ;  and  there  is  no  gratitude 
that  you  can  ask  of  the  daughter,  which  she  will  not  cheer- 
fully repay  for  her  father's  life." 

"Ay,  that  is  the  way  with  all  your  gentle  and  pure- 
hearted  creatur's !  I  have  seen  some  of  you  before,  and 
have  heard  of  others  !  The  sergeant,  himself,  has  talked  to 
me  of  his  own  young  days ;  and  of  your  mother,  and  of  the 
manner  in  which  he  courted  her,  and  of  all  the  crossings 
and  disapp'intments,  until  he  succeeded  at  last." 

"  My  mother  did  not  live  long  to  repay  him  for  what  he 
did  to  win  her,"  said  Mabel,  with  a  trembling  lip. 

"  So  he  tells  me.  The  honest  sergeant  has  kept  nothing 
back,  for  being  so  many  years  my  senior,  he  has  looked  on 
me,  in  our  many  scoutings  together,  as  a  sort  of  son." 

"Perhaps,  Pathfinder,"  observed  Jasper,  with  a  huski- 
ness  in  his  voice  that  defeated  the  attempt  at  pleasantry, 
"  he  would  be  glad  to  have  you  for  one,  in  reality." 

' '  And  if  he  did,  Bau-douce,  where  would  be  the  sin  of 
it?  He  knows  what  I  am  on  a  trail,  or  a  scout,  and  he 
has  seen  me  often  face  to  face  with  the  Frenchers.  I  have 
sometimes  thought,  lad,  that  we  all  ought  to  seek  for  wives  ; 
for  the  man  that  lives  altogether  in  the  woods,  and  in  com- 
pany with  his  enemies,  or  his  prey,  gets  to  lose  some  of  the 
feelin'  of  kind,  in  the  end." 

"From  the  specimen  I  have  seen,"  observed  Mabel,  "I 
should  say  that  they  who  live  much  in  the  forest  forget  to 
learn  many  of  the  deceits  and  vices  of  the  towns." 

"It  is  not  easy,  Mabel,  to  dwell  always  in  the  presence 
of  God,  and  not  feel  the  power  of  his  goodness.  I  have 
attended  church  sarvice  in  the  garrisons,  and  tried  hard,  as 
becomes  a  true  soldier,  to  join  in  the  prayers ;  for  though 
no  enlisted  sarvant  of  the  king,  I  fight  his  battles  and  sarve 
his  cause,  and  so  I  have  ende'vored  to  worship  garrison- 
fashion,  but  never  could  raise  within  me  the  solemn  feelings 
and  true  affection  that  I  feel  when  alone  with  God  in  the 
forest.  There  I  seem  to  stand  face  to  face  with  my  Master  ; 
all  around  me  is  fresh  and  beautiful,  as  it  came  from  his 
hand,  and  there  is  no  nicety  of  doctrine  to  chill  the  feelin' s. 
No,  no;  the  woods  are  the  true  temple,  a'ter  all,  for 


jpatbffn&er  93 


there  the  thoughts  are  free  to  mount  higher  even  than 
the  clouds." 

"You  speak  the  truth,  Master  Pathfinder,"  said  Cap, 
' '  and  a  truth  that  all  who  live  much  in  solitude  know. 
What,  for  instance,  is  the  reason  that  seafaring  men,  in 
general,  are  so  religious  and  conscientious  in  all  they  do, 
but  the  fact  that  they  are  so  often  alone  with  Providence, 
and  have  so  little  to  do  with  the  wickedness  of  the  land  ! 
Many  and  many  is  the  time  that  I  have  stood  my  watch, 
under  the  equator  perhaps,  or  in  the  Southern  Ocean,  when 
the  nights  are  lighted  up  with  the  fires  of  heaven  ;  and  that 
is  the  time,  I  can  tell  you,  my  hearties,  to  bring  a  man  to 
his  bearings,  in  the  way  of  his  sins.  I  have  rattled  down 
mine,  again  and  again,  under  such  circumstances,  until  the 
shrouds  and  lanyards  of  conscience  have  fairly  creaked  with 
the  strain.  I  agree  with  you,  Master  Pathfinder,  therefore, 
in  saying  if  you  want  a  truly  religious  man,  go  to  sea,  or  go 
into  the  woods." 

"Uncle,  I  thought  seamen  had  little  credit,  generally,  for 
their  respect  for  religion." 

' '  All  d d  slander,  girl !  Ask  your  seafaring  man 

what  his  real,  private  opinion  is  of  your  landsmen,  parsons 
and  all,  and  you  will  hear  the  other  side  of  the  question. 
I  know  no  class  of  men  who  have  been  so  belied  as  sea- 
faring men,  in  this  particular ;  and  it  is  all  because  they  do 
not  stay  at  home  to  defend  themselves,  and  pay  the  clergy. 
They  have  n't  as  much  doctrine,  perhaps,  as  some  ashore, 
but  as  for  all  the  essentials  of  Christianity,  the  seaman  beats 
the  landsman,  hand-over-hand." 

"I  will  not  answer  for  all  this,  Master  Cap,"  returned 
Pathfinder,  "but  I  dare  say  some  of  it  may  be  true.  I 
want  no  thunder  and  lightning  to  remind  me  of  my  God, 
nor  am  I  as  apt  to  bethink  me  most  of  all  his  goodness,  in 
trouble  and  tribulations,  as  on  a  calm,  solemn,  quiet  day,  in 
a  forest,  when  his  voice  is  heard  in  the  creaking  of  a  dead 
branch,  or  in  the  song  of  a  bird,  as  much,  in  my  ears  at 
least,  as  it  is  ever  heard  in  uproar  and  gales.  How  is  it  with 
you,  Eau- douce  ?  you  face  the  tempests  as  well  as  Master  Cap, 
and  ought  to  know  something  of  the  feelin's  of  storms." 


94  Ube  jpatbffnfcer 


"  I  fear  that  I  am  too  young  and  too  inexperienced,  to 
be  able  to  say  much  on  such  a  subject,"  modestly  answered 
Jasper. 

"But  you  have  your  feelings?"  said  Mabel,  quickly. 
"You  cannot — no  one  can  live  among  such  scenes  without 
feeling  how  much  they  ought  to  trust  in  God  !  " 

"I  shall  not  belie  my  training  so  much  as  to  say  I  do 
not  sometimes  think  of  these  things,  but  I  fear  it  is  not  as 
often,  or  as  much  as  I  ought." 

"  Fresh  water  !  "  resumed  Cap,  pithily  ;  "  you  are  not  to 
expect  too  much  of  the  young  man,  Mabel.  I  think  they 
call  you,  sometimes,  by  a  name  which  would  insinuate  all 
this.  Eau-de-vie,  is  it  not  ?  " 

"  Eau-douce,"  quietly  replied  Jasper,  who  from  sailing  on 
the  lake  had  acquired  a  knowledge  of  French,  as  well  as  of 
several  of  the  Indian  dialects.  "It  is  a  name  the  Iroquois 
have  given  me  to  distinguish  me  from  some  of  my  compan- 
ions who  once  sailed  upon  the  sea,  and  are  fond  of  filling 
the  ears  of  the  natives  with  stories  of  their  great  salt-water 
lakes. ' ' 

"And  why  shouldn't  they?  I  dare  say  they  do  the 
savages  no  harm.  They  may  not  civilize  them,  but  they 
will  not  make  them  greater  barbarians  than  they  are.  Ay, 
ay — Oh-the-Deuce ;  that  must  mean  the  white  brandy, 
which  is  no  great  matter  after  all,  and  may  well  enough  be 
called  the  deuce,  for  deuced  stuff  it  is  !  " 

"  The  signification  of  Eau-douce  is  sweet  water,  or  water 
that  can  be  drunk,  and  it  is  the  manner  in  which  the  French 
express  fresh  water,"  rejoined  Jasper,  a  little  nettled  at  the 
distinction  made  by  Cap,  although  the  latter  was  the  uncle 
of  Mabel. 

"  And  how  the  devil  do  they  make  water  out  of  Oh-the- 
Deuce,  when  it  means  brandy  in  Eau-de-vie  ?  This  may  be 
the  French  used  hereaway,  but  it  is  not  that  they  use  in 
Burdux  and  other  French  ports  ;  besides,  among  seamen 
Eau  always  means  brandy,  and  Eau-de-vie,  brandy  of  a 
high  proof.  I  think  nothing  of  your  ignorance,  young 
man,  for  it  is  natural  to  your  situation,  and  cannot  be  helped. 
If  you  will  return  with  me,  and  make  a  v'y'ge  or  two  on  the 


ftbe  patbfmber  95 


Atlantic,  it  will  serve  you  a  good  turn  the  remainder  of 
your  days,  and  Mabel,  there,  and  all  the  other  young 
women,  near  the  coast,  will  think  all  the  better  of  you, 
should  you  live  to  be  as  old  as  one  of  the  trees  in  this 
forest." 

"Nay,  nay,"  interrupted  the  single-hearted  and  generous 
guide,  "Jasper  wants  not  for  friends  in  this  region,  I  can 
assure  you  ;  and  though  seeing  the  world,  according  to  his 
habits,  may  do  him  good  as  well  as  another,  we  shall  think 
none  the  worse  of  him  if  he  never  quits  us.  Eau-douce  or 
Eau-de-vie,  he  is  a  brave,  true-hearted  youth,  and  I  always 
sleep  as  sound  when  he  is  on  the  watch  as  if  I  was  up  and 
stirring  myself;  ay,  and  for  that  matter,  sounder  too. 
The  sergeant's  daughter,  here,  doesn't  believe  it  necessary 
for  the  lad  to  go  to  sea  in  order  to  make  a  man  of  him,  or 
one  who  is  worthy  to  be  respected  and  esteemed. ' ' 

Mabel  made  no  reply  to  this  appeal,  and  she  even  looked 
towards  the  western  shore,  although  the  darkness  rendered 
the  natural  movement  unnecessary  to  conceal  her  face. 
But  Jasper  felt  that  there  was  a  necessity  for  his  saying 
something  ;  the  pride  of  youth  and  manhood  revolting  at 
the  idea  of  his  being  in  a  condition  not  to  command  the 
respect  of  his  fellows,  or  the  smiles  of  his  equals  of  the 
other  sex.  Still  he,  was  unwilling  to  utter  aught  that  might 
be  considered  harsh,  to  the  uncle  of  Mabel ;  and  his  self- 
command  was,  perhaps,  more  creditable  than  his  modesty 
and  spirit. 

"  I  pretend  not  to  things  I  don't  possess,"  he  said,  "  and 
lay  no  claim  to  any  knowledge  of  the  ocean,  or  of  naviga- 
tion. We  vSteer  by  the  stars  and  the  compass  on  these 
lakes,  running  from  headland  to  headland,  and,  having 
little  need  of  figures  and  calculations,  make  no  use  of  them. 
But  we  have  our  claims,  notwithstanding,  as  I  have  often 
heard  from  those  who  have  passed  years  on  the  ocean.  In 
the  first  place  we  have  always  the  land  aboard,  and  much 
of  the  time  on  a  lee-shore,  and  that  I  have  frequently  heard 
makes  hardy  sailors.  Our  gales  are  sudden  and  severe,  and 
we  are  compelled  to  run  for  our  ports  at  all  hours — " 

"You  have  your  leads,"  interrupted  Cap. 


96  ftbe  patbfin&er 


"  They  are  of  little  use,  and  are  seldom  cast." 

"The  deep  seas — " 

"I  have  heard  of  such  things,  but  confess  I  never  saw 
one." 

"  Oh-the-Deuce,  with  a  vengeance.    A  trader,   and  no 
deep  sea !    Why,  boy,  you  cannot  pretend  to  be  anything 
of  a  mariner.    Who  the  devil  ever  heard  of  a  seaman  with- 
out his  deep  sea?" 
.    "  I  do  not  pretend  to  any  particular  skill,  Master  Cap — " 

"Except  in  shooting  falls,  Jasper — except  in  shooting  falls 
and  rifts,"  said  Pathfinder,  coming  to  the  rescue  ;  "  in  which 
business  even  you,  Master  Cap,  must  allow  he  has  some 
handiness.  In  my  judgment,  every  man  is  to  be  esteemed 
or  condemned  according  to  his  gifts ;  and  if  Master  Cap  is 
useless  in  running  the  Oswego  Falls,  I  try  to  remember  that 
he  is  useful  when  out  of  sight  of  land ;  and  if  Jasper  be 
useless  when  out  of  sight  of  land,  I  do  not  forget  that  he 
has  a  true  eye  and  steady  hand  when  running  the  falls." 

"But  Jasper  is  not  useless — would  not  be  useless  when 
out  of  sight  of  land,"  said  Mabel,  with  a  spirit  and  energy 
that  caused  her  clear  sweet  voice  to  be  startling  amid  the 
solemn  stillness  of  that  extraordinary  scene.  "No  one  can 
be  useless  there  who  can  do  as  much  here,  is  what  I  mean  ; 
though  I  dare  say  he  is  not  as  well  acquainted  with  ships 
as  my  uncle." 

"Ay,  bolster  each  other  up  in  your  ignorance,"  returned 
Cap,  with  a  sneer ;  "we  seamen  are  so  much  outnumbered 
when  ashore  that  it  is  seldom  we  get  our  dues ;  but  when 
you  want  to  be  defended,  or  trade  is  to  be  carried  on,  there 
is  outcry  enough  for  us." 

"  But,  uncle,  landsmen  do  not  come  to  attack  our  coasts  ; 
so  that  seamen  only  meet  seamen." 

"So  much  for  ignorance!  Where  are  all  the  enemies 
that  have  landed  in  this  country,  French  and  English ;  let 
me  inquire,  niece?" 

"Sure  enough,  where  are  they!"  ejaculated  Pathfinder. 
"None  can  tell  better  than  we  who  dwell  in  the  woods, 
Master  Cap.  I  have  often  followed  their  line  of  march  by 
bones  bleaching  in  the  rain,  and  have  found  their  trail  by 


ZTbe  ipatbffn&er  97 


graves,  years  after  they  and  their  pride  had  vanished  to- 
gether. Ginirals  and  privates,  they  lay  scattered  throughout 
the  land,  so  many  proofs  of  what  men  are  when  led  on  by 
their  love  of  great  names,  and  the  wish  to  be  more  than 
their  fellows." 

"  I  must  say,  Master  Pathfinder,  that  you  sometimes  utter 
opinions  that  are  a  little  remarkable,  for  a  man  who  lives  by 
the  rifle  ;  seldom  snuffing  the  air  but  he  smells  gunpowder, 
or  turning  out  of  his  berth  but  to  bear  down  on  an  enemy." 

"  If  you  think  I  pass  my  days  in  warfare  against  my  kind, 
you  know  neither  me  nor  my  history.  The  man  that  lives 
in  the  woods,  and  on  the  frontiers,  must  take  the  chances  of 
the  things  among  which  he  dwells.  For  this  I  am  not  ac- 
countable, being  but  an  humble  and  powerless  hunter,  and 
scout,  and  guide.  My  real  calling  is  to  hunt  for  the  army  on 
its  marches,  and  in  times  of  peace  ;  although  I  am  more 
especially  engaged  in  the  sendee  of  one  officer,  who  is  now 
absent  in  the  settlements,  where  I  never  follow  him.  No,  no  ; 
bloodshed  and  warfare  are  not  my  real  gifts,  but  peace  and 
marcy.  Still,  I  must  face  the  enemy  as  well  as  another,  and 
as  for  a  Mingo,  I  look  upon  him  as  man  looks  on  a  snake — 
a  creatur'  to  be  put  beneath  the  heel,  whenever  a  fitting 
occasion  offers." 

"  Well,  well ;  I  have  mistaken  your  calling,  which  I  had 
thought  as  regularly  warlike  as  that  of  a  ship's  gunner. 
There  is  my  brother-in-law,  now  ;  he  has  been  a  soldier  since 
he  was  sixteen,  and  he  looks  upon  his  trade  as  every  way  as 
respectable  as  that  of  a  seafaring  man,  which  is  a  point  I 
hardly  think  it  worth  while  to  dispute  with  him." 

"  My  father  has  been  taught  to  believe  that  it  is  honorable 
to  carry  arms,"  said  Mabel,  "  for  his  father  was  a  soldier 
before  him." 

"Yes,  yes,"  resumed  the  guide,  "most  of  the  sergeant's 
gifts  are  martial,  and  he  looks  at  most  things  in  this  world 
over  the  barrel  of  his  musket.  One  of  his  notions  now,  is 
to  prefar  a  king's  piece  to  a  regular  double-sighted,  long- 
barrelled  rifle.  Such  consaits  will  come  over  men,  from  long 
habit :  and  prejudice  is  perhaps  the  commonest  failing  of 
human  natur'." 

7 


9s  ftbe  flbatbfinber 


"  Ashore,  I  grant  you,"  said  Cap.  "I  never  return  from 
a  v'y'ge  but  I  make  the  very  same  remark.  Now,  the  last 
time  I  came  in,  I  found  scarcely  a  man  in  all  York  who 
would  think  of  matters  and  things  in  general  as  I  thought 
about  them  myself.  Every  man  I  met  appeared  to  have 
bowsed  all  his  idees  up  into  the  wind's  eye,  and  when  he  did 
fall  off  a  little  from  his  one-sided  notions,  it  was  commonly 
to  wear  short  round  on  his  heel,  and  to  lay  up  as  close  as 
ever  on  the  other  tack. ' ' 

"Do  you  understand  this,  Jasper ?"  the  smiling  Mabel 
half  whispered  to  the  young  man,  who  still  kept  his  own 
canoe  so  near  as  to  be  close  at  her  side. 

"  There  is  not  so  much  difference  between  salt  and  fresh 
water,  that  we  who  pass  our  time  on  them  cannot  compre- 
hend each  other.  It  is  no  great  merit,  Mabel,  to  understand 
the  language  of  our  trade. ' ' 

"Even  religion,"  continued  Cap,  "is  n't  moored  in  ex- 
actly the  same  place  it  was  in  my  young  days.  They  veer 
and  haul  upon  it  ashore,  as  they  do  on  all  other  things,  and 
it  is  no  wonder  if  now  and  then  they  get  jammed.  Every- 
thing seems  to  change  but  the  compass,  and  even  that  has  its 
variations." 

"Well,"  returned  the  Pathfinder,  "I  thought  Christian- 
ity and  the  compass  both  pretty  stationary. ' ' 

"So  they  are,  afloat,  bating  the  variations.  Religion  at 
sea  is  just  the  same  thing  to-day  that  it  was  when  I  first  put 
my  hand  into  the  tar-bucket.  No  one  will  dispute  it  who 
has  the  fear  of  God  before  his  eyes.  I  can  see  no  difference 
between  the  state  of  religion  on  board  ship  now,  and  what  it 
was  when  I  was  a  younker.  But  it  is  not  so  ashore,  by  any 
means.  Take  my  word  for  it,  Master  Pathfinder,  it  is  a  dif- 
ficult thing  to  find  a  man — I  mean  a  landsman — who  views 
these  matters  to-day,  exactly  as  he  looked  at  them  forty 
years  ago." 

"And  yet  God  is  unchanged  ;  his  works  are  unchanged  ; 
his  holy  word  is  unchanged  ;  and  all  that  ought  to  bless  and 
honor  his  name,  should  be  unchanged  too  ! ' ' 

"  Not  ashore.  That  is  the  worst  of  the  land  ;  it  is  all  the 
while  in  motion,  I  tell  you,  though  it  looks  so  solid.  If  you 


ipatbfinfcer  99 


plant  a  tree,  and  leave  it,  on  your  return  from  a  three  years 
v'y'ge,  you  don't  find  it  at  all  the  sort  of  thing  you  left  it. 
The  towns  grow,  and  new  streets  spring  up  ;  the  wharves 
are  altered  ;  and  the  whole  face  of  the  earth  undergoes 
change.  Now  a  ship  comes  back  from  an  India  v'y'ge  just 
the  thing  she  sailed,  bating  the  want  of  paint,  wear  and  tear, 
and  the  accidents  of  the  sea." 

"  That  is  too  true,  Master  Cap,  and  more  's  the  pity.  Ah  's 
me  !  the  things  they  call  improvements  and  betterments,  are 
undermining  and  defacing  the  land  !  The  glorious  works  of 
God  are  daily  cut  down  and  destroyed,  and  the  hand  of  man 
seems  to  be  upraised  in  contempt  of  his  mighty  will.  They 
tell  me  there  are  fearful  signs  of  what  we  may  all  come  to, 
to  be  met  with  west  and  south  of  the  Great  Lakes,  though  I 
have  never  yet  visited  that  region  !  ' ' 

' '  What  do  you  mean,  Pathfinder  ?  ' '  modestly  inquired 
Jasper. 

"  I  mean  the  spots  marked  by  the  vengeance  of  Heaven, 
or  which,  perhaps,  have  been  raised  up  as  solemn  warnings 
to  the  thoughtless  and  wasteful,  hereaways.  They  call  them 
prairies ;  and  I  have  heard  as  honest  Delawares  as  I  ever 
knew,  declare  that  the  finger  of  God  has  been  laid  so  heavily 
on  them,  that  they  are  altogether  without  trees.  This  is  an 
awful  visitation  to  befall  innocent  'arth,  and  can  only  mean 
to  show  to  what  frightful  consequences  a  heedless  desire  to 
destroy  may  lead." 

"And  yet  I  have  seen  settlers  who  have  much  fancied 
these  open  spots,  because  they  saved  them  the  toil  of  clear- 
ing. You  relish  your  bread,  Pathfinder,  and  yet  wheat  will 
not  ripen  in  the  shade. ' ' 

"  But  honesty  will,  and  simple  wishes,  and  a  love  of  God, 
Jasper.  Even  Master  Cap  will  tell  you  a  treeless  plain  must 
resemble  a  deserted  island." 

' '  Why,  that  is  as  it  may  be, ' '  put  in  Cap.  ' '  Desert  islands, 
too,  have  their  uses,  for  they  serve  to  correct  the  reckonings 
by.  If  my  taste  is  consulted,  I  should  never  quarrel  with 
a  plain  for  wanting  trees.  As  nature  has  given  a  man 
eyes  to  look  about  with,  and  a  sun  to  shine,  were  it  not 
for  ship-building,  and  now  and  then  a  house,  I  can  see  no 


100 


tlbe  patbfinfcer 


great  use  in  a  tree  ;  especially  one  that  don't  bear  monkeys 
or  fruit." 

To  this  remark  the  guide  made  no  answer,  beyond  a  low 
sound,  intended  to  enjoin  silence  on  his  companions.  While 
the  desultory  conversation  just  related  had  been  carried  on 
in  subdued  voices,  the  canoes  were  dropping  slowly  down 
with  the  current,  within  the  deep  shadows  of  the  western 
shore,  the  paddles  being  used  merely  to  preserve  the  desired 
direction  and  proper  positions.  The  strength  of  the  stream 
varied  materially,  the  water  being  seemingly  still  in  places, 
while  in  other  reaches  it  flowed  at  a  rate  exceeding  two,  or 
even  three  miles  in  the  hour.  On  the  rifts  it  even  dashed 
forward  with  a  velocity  that  was  appalling  to  the  unpractised 
eye.  Jasper  was  of  opinion  that  they  might  drift  down  with 
the  current  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  in  two  hours  from  the 
time  they  left  the  shore,  and  he  and  the  Pathfinder  had 
agreed  on  the  expediency  of  suffering  the  canoes  to  float  of 
themselves  for  a  time,  or  at  least  until  they  had  passed  the 
first  dangers  of  their  new  movement.  The  dialogue  had 
been  carried  on  in  voices,  too,  guardedly  low  ;  for,  though 
the  quiet  of  deep  solitude  reigned  in  that  vast  and  nearly 
boundless  forest,  nature  was  speaking  with  her  thousand 
tongues,  in  the  eloquent  language  of  night  in  a  wilderness. 
The  air  sighed  through  ten  thousand  trees,  the  water  rippled, 
and,  at  places,  even  roared  along  the  shores ;  and  now  and 
then  was  heard  the  creaking  of  a  branch,  or  a  trunk,  as  it 
rubbed  against  some  object  similar  to  itself,  under  the  vibra- 
tions of  a  nicely  balanced  body.  All  living  sounds  had 
ceased.  Once,  it  is  true,  the  Pathfinder  fancied  he  heard 
the  howl  of  a  distant  wolf,  of  which  a  few  prowled  through 
these  woods  ;  but  it  was  a  transient  and  doubtful  cry,  that 
might  possibly  have  been  attributed  to  the  imagination. 
When  he  desired  his  companions,  however,  to  cease  talking, 
in  the  manner  just  mentioned,  his  vigilant  ear  had  caught 
the  peculiar  sound  that  is  made  by  the  parting  of  a  dried 
branch  of  a  tree,  and  which,  if  his  senses  did  not  deceive 
him,  came  from  the  western  shore.  All  who  are  accustomed 
to  that  particular  sound,  will  understand  how  readily  the 
ear  receives  it,  and  how  easy  it  is  to  distinguish  the  tread 


Ube  jpatbfinfcer  101 

which  breaks  the  branch  from  every  other  noise  of  the 
forest. 

"  There  is  the  footstep  of  a  man  on  the  bank,"  said  Path- 
finder to  Jasper,  speaking  in  neither  a  whisper  nor  yet  in  a 
voice  loud  enough  to  be  heard  at  any  distance.  ' '  Can  the 
accursed  Iroquois  have  crossed  the  river,  already,  with  their 
arms,  and  without  a  boat  ? ' ' 

' '  It  may  be  the  Delaware  !  He  would  follow  us  of  course 
down  this  bank,  and  would  know  where  to  look  for  us.  Let 
me  draw  closer  in  to  the  shore,  and  reconnoitre." 

' '  Go,  boy,  but  be  light  with  the  paddle,  and  on  no  account 
ventur'  ashore  on  an  onsartainty." 

"Is  this  prudent?"  demanded  Mabel,  with  an  impetu- 
osity that  rendered  her  incautious  in  modulating  her  sweet 
voice. 

"  Very  imprudent,  if  you  speak  so  loud,  fair  one.  I  like 
your  voice,  which  is  soft  and  pleasing,  after  listening  so  long 
to  the  tones  of  men  ;  but  it  must  not  be  heard  too  much,  or 
too  freely,  just  now.  Your  father,  the  honest  sergeant,  will 
tell  you,  when  you  meet  him,  that  silence  is  a  double  virtue 
on  a  trail.  Go,  Jasper,  and  do  justice  to  your  own  character 
for  prudence." 

Ten  anxious  minutes  succeeded  the  disappearance  of  the 
canoe  of  Jasper,  which  glided  away  from  that  of  the  Path- 
finder so  noiselessly  that  it  had  been  swallowed  up  in  the 
gloom  before  Mabel  allowed  herself  to  believe  the  young 
man  would  really  venture  alone  on  a  service  that  struck  her 
imagination  as  singularly  dangerous.  During  this  time  the 
party  continued  to  float  with  the  current,  no  one  speaking, 
and  it  might  almost  be  said  no  one  breathing,  so  strong  was 
the  general  desire  to  catch  the  minutest  sound  that  should 
come  from  the  shore.  But  the  same  solemn,  we  might 
indeed  say  sublime,  quiet  reigned  as  before  ;  the  washing  of 
the  water,  as  it  piled  up  against  some  slight  obstruction,  and 
the  singing  of  the  trees,  alone  interrupting  the  slumbers  of 
the  forest.  At  the  end  of  the  period  mentioned  the  snapping 
of  dried  branches  was  again  faintly  heard,  and  the  Path- 
finder fancied  that  the  sound  of  smothered  voices  reached 
him. 


Ube 


"  I  may  be  mistaken,"  he  said,  "  for  the  thoughts  often 
fancy  what  the  heart  wishes  ;  but  them  were  notes  like  the 
low  tones  of  the  Delaware  ! ' ' 

"Do  the  dead  of  the  savages  ever  walk?"  demanded 
Cap. 

"Ay,  and  run,  too,  in  their  happy  hunting-grounds,  but 
nowhere  else.  A  redskin  finishes  with  the  'arth  after  the 
breath  quits  the  body.  It  is  not  one  of  his  gifts  to  linger 
around  his  wigwam  when  his  hour  has  passed." 

"  I  see  some  object  on  the  water,"  whispered  Mabel,  whose 
eye  had  not  ceased  to  dwell  on  the  body  of  gloom  with  close 
intensity  since  the  disappearance  of  Jasper. 

"It  is  the  canoe  !  "  returned  the  guide,  greatly  relieved. 
"  All  must  be  safe,  or  we  should  have  heard  from  the  lad." 

In  another  minute  the  two  canoes,  which  became  visible 
to  those  they  carried  only  as  they  drew  near  each  other, 
again  floated  side  by  side,  and  the  form  of  Jasper  was  rec- 
ognized at  the  stern  of  his  own  boat.  The  figure  of  a  sec- 
ond man  was  seated  in  the  bow,  and  as  the  young  sailor  so 
wielded  his  paddle  as  to  bring  the  face  of  his  companion 
near  the  eyes  of  the  Pathfinder  and  Mabel,  they  both  recog- 
nized the  person  of  the  Delaware. 

"  Chingachgook — my  brother!"  said  the  guide,  in  the 
dialect  of  the  other's  people,  a  tremor  shaking  his  voice  that 
betrayed  the  strength  of  his  feelings.  "  Chief  of  the  Mohi- 
cans !  my  heart  is  very  glad.  Often  have  we  passed  through 
blood  and  strife  together,  but  I  was  afraid  it  was  never  to 
be  so  again." 

"  Hugh  !  Mingos — squaws  !  Three  of  their  scalps  hang 
at  my  girdle.  They  do  not  know  how  to  strike  the  Great 
Serpent  of  the  Delawares.  Their  hearts  have  no  blood,  and 
their  thoughts  are  on  their  return  path,  across  the  waters  of 
the  Great  Lake." 

"Have  you  been  among  them,  chief?  and  what  has  be- 
come of  the  warrior  who  was  in  the  river  ?  ' ' 

"  He  has  turned  into  a  fish,  and  lies  at  the  bottom  with 
the  eels  !  Let  his  brothers  bait  their  hooks  for  him.  Path- 
finder I  have  counted  the  enemy,  and  have  touched  their 
rifles." 


Jpatbffn&er  103 


"  Ah  !  I  thought  he  would  be  venturesome  !  "  exclaimed 
the  guide,  in  English.  "  The  risky  fellow  has  been  in  the 
midst  of  them,  and  has  brought  us  back  their  whole  history. 
Speak,  Chingachgook,  and  I  will  make  our  friends  as  know- 
ing as  ourselves." 

The  Delaware  now  related  in  a  low,  earnest  manner  the 
substance  of  all  his  discoveries  since  he  was  last  seen  strug- 
gling with  the  foe  in  the  river.  Of  the  fate  of  his  antagonist 
he  said  no  more,  it  not  being  usual  for  a  warrior  to  boast  in 
his  more  direct  and  useful  narratives.  As  soon  as  he  had  con- 
quered in  that  fearful  strife,  however,  he  swam  to  the  eastern 
shore,  landed  with  caution,  and  wound  his  way  in  among  the 
Iroquois,  concealed  by  the  darkness,  undetected,  and,  in  the 
main,  even  unsuspected.  Once,  indeed,  he  had  been  ques- 
tioned, but  answering  that  he  was  Arrowhead,  no  further 
inquiries  were  made.  By  the  passing  remarks  he  soon 
ascertained  that  the  party  was  out  expressly  to  intercept 
Mabel  and  her  uncle,  concerning  whose  rank,  however,  they 
had  evidently  been  deceived.  He  also  ascertained  enough  to 
justify  the  suspicion  that  Arrowhead  had  betrayed  them  to 
their  enemies,  for  some  motive  that  it  was  not  now  easy  to 
reach,  as  he  had  not  yet  received  the  reward  of  his  services. 

Pathfinder  communicated  no  more  of  this  intelligence  to 
his  companions  than  he  thought  might  relieve  their  appre- 
hensions, intimating  at  the  same  time  that  now  was  the 
moment  for  exertion,  the  Iroquois  not  having  yet  entirely 
recovered  from  the  confusion  created  by  their  losses. 

"We  shall  find  them  at  the  rift,  I  make  no  manner  of 
doubt, ' '  he  continued,  ' '  and  there  it  will  be  our  fate  to  pass 
them  or  to  fall  into  their  hands.  The  distance  to  the  garri- 
son will  then  be  so  short,  that  I  have  been  thinking  of  the 
plan  of  landing  with  Mabel,  myself,  that  I  may  take  her  in 
by  some  of  the  by-ways  and  leave  the  canoes  to  their  chances 
in  the  rapids." 

"It  will  never  succeed,  Pathfinder,"  eagerly  interrupted 
Jasper.  "  Mabel  is  not  strong  enough  to  tramp  the  woods 
in  a  night  like  this.  Put  her  in  my  skiff,  and  I  will  lose  my 
life,  to  carry  her  through  the  rift  safely,  dark  as  it  is." 

"  No  doubt  you  will,  lad  ;  no  one  doubts  your  willingness 


104  ^&e  patbffnfcer 


to  do  anything  to  sarve  the  sergeant's  daughter :  but  it  must 
be  the  eye  of  Providence,  and  not  your  own,  that  will  take 
you  safely  through  theOswego  rift  in  a  night  like  this." 

' '  And  who  will  lead  her  safely  to  the  garrison  if  she  land  ? 
Is  not  the  night  as  dark  on  shore  as  on  the  water  ?  or  do  you 
think  I  know  less  of  my  calling  than  you  know  of  yours  ?  ' ' 

' '  Spiritedly  said,  lad  ;  but  if  I  should  lose  my  way  in  the 
dark,  and  I  believe  no  man  can  say  truly  that  such  a  thing 
ever  yet  happened  to  me — but,  if  I  should  lose  my  way,  no 
other  harm  would  come  of  it  than  to  pass  a  night  in  the  for- 
est, whereas  a  false  turn  of  the  paddle,  or  a  broad  sheer  of 
the  canoe,  would  put  you  and  the  young  woman  into  the 
river,  out  of  which  it  is  more  than  probable  the  sergeant's 
daughter  would  never  come  alive." 

"  I  will  leave  it  to  Mabel,  herself;  I  am  certain  that  she 
will  feel  more  secure  in  the  canoe." 

"  I  have  great  confidence  in  you  both,"  answered  the  girl, 
' '  and  have  no  doubts  that  either  will  do  all  he  can  to  prove 
to  my  father  how  much  he  values  him ;  but  I  confess  I 
should  not  like  to  quit  the  canoe,  with  the  certainty  we  have 
of  there  being  enemies  like  those  we  have  seen  in  the  forest. 
But  my  uncle  can  decide  for  me  in  this  matter." 

' '  I  have  no  liking  for  the  woods, ' '  said  Cap,  ' '  while  one 
has  a  clear  drift  like  this  on  the  river.  Besides,  Master 
Pathfinder,  to  say  nothing  of  the  savages,  you  overlook  the 
sharks." 

"  Sharks  !  who  ever  heard  of  sharks  in  the  wilderness  !  " 

"Ay  !  sharks,  or  bears,  or  wolves — no  matter  what  you 
call  a  thing,  so  it  has  the  mind  and  power  to  bite." 

"  I/ord,  lord,  man  ;  do  you  dread  any  creatur'  that  is  to  be 
found  in  the  American  forest?  A  catamount  is  a  skeary 
animal,  I  will  allow,  but  then  it  is  nothing  in  the  hands  of  a 
practysed  hunter.  Talk  of  the  Mingos  and  their  deviltries, 
if  you  will ;  but  do  not  raise  a  false  alarm  about  bears  and 
wolves." 

"Ay,  ay,  Master  Pathfinder,  this  is  all  well  enough,  for 
you,  who  probably  know  the  name  of  every  creature  you 
would  meet.  Use  is  everything,  and  it  makes  a  man  bold 
when  he  might  otherwise  be  bashful.  I  have  known  sea- 


ZTbe  jpatbfinfcer  105 


men  in  the  low  latitudes  swim  for  hours  at  a  time  among 
sharks  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  long,  and  think  no  more  of  what 
they  were  doing  than  a  countryman  thinks  of  whom  he  is 
among,  when  he  comes  out  of  a  church-door  of  a  Sunday 
afternoon." 

' '  This  is  extraordinary  ! ' '  exclaimed  Jasper,  who  in  good 
sooth  had  not  yet  acquired  that  material  part  of  his  trade, 
the  ability  to  spin  a  yarn.  ' '  I  have  always  heard  that  it 
was  certain  death  to  venture  in  the  water  among  sharks  ! ' ' 

' '  I  forgot  to  say  that  the  lads  always  took  capstan-bars,  or 
gunners'  handspikes,  or  crows  with  them,  to  rap  the  beasts 
over  the  noses,  if  they  got  to  be  troublesome.  No,  no ;  I 
have  no  liking  for  bears  and  wolves,  though  a  whale,  in  my 
e)^e  is  very  much  the  same  sort  of  fish  as  a  red  herring,  after 
it  is  dried  and  salted.  Mabel  and  I  had  better  stick  to  the 
canoe. ' ' 

"  Mabel  would  do  well  to  change  canoes,"  added  Jasper. 
"  This  of  mine  is  empty,  and  even  Pathfinder  will  allow  that 
my  eye  is  surer  than  his  own,  on  the  water. ' ' 

' '  That  I  will,  cheerfully,  boy.  The  water  belongs  to  your 
gifts,  and  no  one  will  deny  that  you  have  improved  them  to 
the  utmost.  You  are  right  enough  in  believing  that  the 
sergeant's  daughter  will  be  safer  in  your  canoe  than  in  this  ; 
and,  though  I  would  gladly  keep  her  near  myself,  I  have 
her  welfare  too  much  at  heart,  not  to  give  her  honest  advice. 
Bring  your  canoe  close  alongside,  Jasper,  and  I  will  give  you 
what  you  must  consider  a  very  precious  treasure." 

"  I  do  consider  it,"  returned  the  youth,  not  losing  a  mo- 
ment in  complying  with  the  request ;  when  Mabel  passed 
from  one  canoe  to  the  other,  taking  her  seat  on  the  effects 
which  had  hitherto  composed  its  sole  cargo. 

As  soon  as  the  arrangement  was  made,  the  canoes  sepa- 
rated a  short  distance,  and  the  paddles  were  used,  though 
with  great  care  to  avoid  making  any  noise.  The  conversation 
gradually  ceased,  and  as  the  dreaded  rift  was  approached,  all 
became  impressed  with  the  gravity  of  the  moment.  That 
their  enemies  would  endeavor  to  reach  this  point  before 
them,  was  almost  certain ;  and  it  seemed  so  little  probable 
any  one  should  attempt  to  pass  it,  in  the  profound  obscurity 


ro6  ttbe  jpatbfittoer 


which  reigned,  that  Pathfinder  was  confident  parties  were 
on  both  sides  of  the  river,  in  the  hope  of  intercepting  them 
when  they  might  land.  He  would  not  have  made  the  pro- 
posal he  did,  had  he  not  felt  sure  of  his  own  ability  to  con- 
vert this  very  anticipation  of  success  into  a  means  of  defeating 
the  plans  of  the  Iroquois.  As  the  arrangement  now  stood, 
however,  everything  depended  on  the  skill  of  those  who 
guided  the  canoes  ;  for  should  either  hit  a  rock,  if  not  split 
asunder,  it  would  almost  certainly  be  upset,  and  then  would 
come  not  only  all  the  hazards  of  the  river  itself,  but,  for  Ma- 
bel, the  certainty  of  falling  into  the  hands  of  her  pursuers. 
The  utmost  circumspection  consequently  became  necessary, 
and  each  one  was  too  much  engrossed  with  his  own  thoughts 
to  feel  a  disposition  to  utter  more  than  was  called  for  by  the 
exigencies  of  the  case. 

As  the  canoes  stole  silently  along,  the  roar  of  the  rift 
became  audible,  and  it  required  all  the  fortitude  of  Cap  to 
keep  his  seat,  while  these  boding  sounds  were  approached, 
amid  a  darkness  that  scarcely  permitted  a  view  of  the  out- 
lines of  the  wooded  shore,  and  of  the  gloomy  vault  above 
his  head.  He  retained  a  vivid  impression  of  the  falls,  and 
his  imagination  was  not  now  idle,  in  swelling  the  dangers  of 
the  rift  to  a  level  with  those  of  the  headlong  descent  he  had 
that  day  made,  and  even  to  increase  them,  under  the  influ- 
ence of  doubt  and  uncertainty.  In  this,  however,  the  old 
mariner  was  mistaken,  for  the  Oswego  rift  and  the  Oswego 
Falls  are  very  different  in  their  characters  and  violence ; 
the  former  being  no  more  than  a  rapid,  that  glances 
among  shallows  and  rocks,  while  the  latter  really  deserved 
the  name  it  bore,  as  has  been  already  shown. 

Mabel  certainly  felt  distrust  and  apprehension ;  but  her 
entire  situation  was  so  novel,  and  her  reliance  on  her  guide 
so  great,  that  she  retained  a  self-command  that  might  not 
have  existed  had  she  clearer  perceptions  of  the  truth,  or 
been  better  acquainted  with  the  helplessness  of  men,  when 
placed  in  opposition  to  the  power  and  majesty  of  nature. 

"That  is  the  spot  you  have  mentioned?"  she  said  to 
Jasper,  when  the  roar  of  the  rift  first  came  fresh  and  distinct 
on  her  ear. 


tTbe 


107 


"It  is ;  and  I  beg  you  to  have  confidence  in  me.  We 
are  not  old  acquaintances,  Mabel,  but  we  live  many  days  in 
one,  in  this  wilderness.  I  think  already  that  I  have  known 
you  years  ! ' ' 

' '  And  I  do  not  feel  as  if  you  were  a  stranger  to  me, 
Jasper.  I  have  every  reliance  on  your  skill,  as  well  as  on 
your  disposition  to  serve  me. ' ' 

"We  shall  see — we  shall  see.  Pathfinder  is  striking  the 
rapids  too  near  the  centre  of  the  river.  The  bed  of  the 
water  is  closer  to  the  eastern  shore  ;  but  I  cannot  make  him 
hear  me  now.  Hold  firmly  to  the  canoe,  Mabel,  and  fear 
nothing. ' ' 

At  the  next  moment,  the  swift  current  sucked  them  into 
the  rift,  and  for  three  or  four  minutes  the  awe-struck,  rather 
than  the  alarmed  girl,  saw  nothing  around  her  but  sheets 
of  glancing  foam  ;  heard  nothing  but  the  roar  of  waters. 
Twenty  times  did  the  canoe  appear  about  to  dash  against 
some  curling  and  bright  wave,  that  showed  itself  even  amid 
that  obscurity,  and  as  often  did  it  glide  away  again,  un- 
harmed, impelled  by  the  vigorous  arm  of  him  who  governed 
its  movements.  Once,  and  once  only,  did  Jasper  seem  to 
lose  command  of  his  frail  bark,  during  which  brief  space  it 
fairly  whirled  entirely  round ;  but,  by  a  desperate  effort,  he 
brought  it  again  under  control,  recovered  the  lost  channel, 
and  was  soon  rewarded  for  all  his  anxiety  by  finding  himself 
floating  quietly  in  the  deep  water  below  the  rapids ;  secure 
from  every  danger,  and  without  having  taken  in  enough  of 
the  element  to  serve  for  a  draught. 

"All  is  over,  Mabel,"  the  young  man  cheerfully  cried. 
"The  danger  is  past,  and  you  may  now,  indeed,  hope  to 
meet  }'our  father  this  very  night." 

"  God  be  praised  !  Jasper,  we  shall  owe  this  great  happi- 
ness to  you  !  " 

"The  Pathfinder  may  claim  a  full  share  in  the  merit; 
but  what  has  become  of  the  other  canoe  ? ' ' 

"I  see  something  near  us  on  the  water  ;  is  it  not  the  boat 
of  our  friends  ? ' ' 

A  few  strokes  of  the  paddle  brought  Jasper  to  the  side  of 
the  object  in  question.  It  was  the  other  canoe,  empty  and 


io8  Ube  patbfinfcer 


bottom  upwards.  No  sooner  did  the  young  man  ascertain 
this  fact,  than  he  began  to  search  for  the  swimmers,  and, 
to  his  great  joy,  Cap  was  soon  discovered  drifting  down 
with  the  current;  the  old  seaman  preferring  the  chances 
of  drowning  to  those  of  landing  among  savages.  He  was 
hauled  into  the  canoe,  though  not  without  difficulty,  and 
then  the  search  ended ;  for  Jasper  was  persuaded  that  the 
Pathfinder  would  wade  to  the  shore,  the  water  being  shallow, 
in  preference  to  abandoning  his  beloved  rifle. 

The  remainder  of  the  passage  was  short,  though  made 
amid  darkness  and  doubt.  After  a  short  pause,  a  dull  roar- 
ing sound  was  heard,  which  at  times  resembled  the  mutter- 
ings  of  distant  thunder,  and  then  again  brought  with  it  the 
washing  of  waters.  Jasper  announced  to  his  companions 
that  they  now  heard  the  surf  of  the  lake.  L,ow,  curved 
spits  of  land  lay  before  them,  into  the  bay  formed  by  one 
of  which  the  canoe  glided,  and  then  it  shot  up  noiselessly 
upon  a  gravelly  beach.  The  transition  that  followed  was 
so  hurried  and  great,  that  Mabel  scarce  knew  what  passed. 
In  the  course  of  a  few  minutes,  however,  sentinels  had  been 
passed,  a  gate  was  opened,  and  the  agitated  girl  found  her- 
self in  the  arms  of  a  parent  who  was  almost  a  stranger  to  her. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

"  A  land  of  love,  and  a  land  of  light, 
Withouten  sun,  or  moon,  or  night ; 
Where  the  river  swa'd  a  living  stream, 
And  the  light  a  pure  celestial  beam  : 
The  land  of  vision,  it  would  seem 
A  still,  an  everlasting  dream." 

Queen's  Wake. 

THE  rest  that  succeeds  fatigue,  and  which  attends 
a  newly  awakened  sense  of  security,  is  generally 
sweet  and  deep.     Such  was  the  fact  with  Mabel, 
who  did  not  rise  from  her  humble  pallet,  such  a 
bed  as  a  sergeant's  daughter  might  claim  in  a  remote  frontier 
post,   until  long  after  the  garrison  had  obeyed  the  usual 
summons  of  the  drums,   and  had  assembled  at  the  early 
parade.     Sergeant  Dunham,  on  whose  shoulders  fell  the  task 
of  attending  to  these  ordinary  and  daily  duties,  had  got 
through  all  his  morning  avocations,  and  was  beginning  to 
think  of  his  breakfast,  ere  his  child  left  her  room  and  came 
into  fresh  air,  equally  bewildered,  delighted,  and  grateful,  at 
the  novelty  and  security  of  her  new  situation. 

At  the  time  of  which  we  are  writing,  Oswego  was  one 
of  the  extreme  frontier  posts  of  the  British  possessions  on 
this  continent.  It  had  not  been  long  occupied,  and  was 
garrisoned  by  a  battalion  of  a  regiment  that  had  been 
originally  Scotch,  but  into  which  many  Americans  had  been 
received,  since  its  arrival  in  this  country, — an  innovation 
that  had  led  the  way  to  Mabel's  father  filling  the  humble, 
but  responsible,  situation  of  the  oldest  sergeant.  A  few 
young  officers,  also,  who  were  natives  of  the  colonies,  were 
to  be  found  in  the  corps.  The  fort  itself,  like  most  works 
109 


] 


no  ttbe  patbfinfcer 


of  that  character,  was  better  adapted  to  "«si?*  an  attack  of 
savages  than  to  withstand  a  regular  siege ;  but  the  great 
difficulty  of  transporting  heavy  artillery  and  other  necessa- 
ries, rendered  the  occurrence  of  the  latter  a  probability  so 
remote,  as  scarcely  to  enter  into  the  estimate  of  the  engineers 
who  had  planned  the  defences.  There  were  bastions  of 
earth  and  logs,  a  dry  ditch,  a  stockade,  a  parade  of  consider- 
able extent,  and  barracks  of  logs,  that  answered  the  double 
purpose  of  dwellings  and  fortifications.  A  few  light  field- 
pieces  stood  in  the  area  of  the  fort,  ready  to  be  conveyed  to 
any  point  where  they  might  be  wanted ;  and  one  or  two 
heavy  iron  guns  looked  out  from  the  summits  of  the  ad- 
vanced angles,  as  so  many  admonitions  to  the  audacious  to 
respect  their  power. 

When  Mabel,  quitting  the  convenient,  but  comparatively 
retired  hut,  where  her  father  had  been  permitted  to  place 
her,  issued  into  the  pure  air  of  the  morning,  she  found 
herself  at  the  foot  of  a  bastion  that  lay  invitingly  before 
her,  with  a  promise  of  giving  a  coup  d'ceil  of  all  that  had 
been  concealed  in  the  darkness  of  the  preceding  night. 
Tripping  up  the  grassy  ascent,  the  light-hearted  as  well  as 
light-footed  girl  found  herself  at  once  on  a  point  where  the 
sight,  at  a  few  varying  glances,  could  take  in  all  the  external 
novelties  of  her  new  situation. 

To  the  southward  lay  the  forest  through  which  she  had 
been  journeying  so  many  weary  days,  and  which  had 
proved  so  full  of  dangers.  It  was  separated  from  the 
stockade  by  a  belt  of  open  land,  that  had  been  principally 
cleared  of  its  woods  to  form  the  martial  constructions 
around  her.  This  glads,  for  such  in  fact  was  its  military 
use,  might  have  covered  a  hundred  acres,  but  with  it  every 
sign  of  civilization  ceased.  All  beyond  was  forest;  that 
dense,  interminable  forest  that  Mabel  could  now  picture  to 
herself,  through  her  recollections,  with  its  hidden,  glassy 
lakes,  its  dark,  rolling  streams,  and  its  world  of  nature  ! 

Turning  from  this  view,  our  heroine  felt  her  cheek  fanned 
by  a  fresh  and  grateful  breeze,  such  as  she  had  not  experi- 
enced since  quitting  the  far-distant  coast.  Here  a  new  scene 
presented  itself;  although  expected,  it  was  not  without  a 


Ube  patbfinfcer  m 

start,  and  a  low  exclamation  indicative  of  pleasure,  that  the 
eager  eyes  of  the  girl  drank  in  its  beauties.  To  the  north, 
and  east,  and  west,  in  every  direction,  in  short,  over  one 
entire  half  of  the  novel  panorama,  lay  a  field  of  rolling 
waters.  The  element  was  neither  of  that  glassy  green  which 
distinguishes  the  American  waters  in  general,  nor  yet  of  the 
deep-blue  of  the  ocean  ;  the  color  being  of  a  slightly  amber 
hue,  that  scarcely  affected  its  limpidity.  No  land  was  to 
be  seen,  with  the  exception  of  the  adjacent  coast,  which 
stretched  to  the  right  and  left,  in  an  unbroken  outline  of 
forest,  with  wide  bays,  and  low  headlands  or  points ;  still, 
much  of  the  shore  was  rocky,  and  into  its  caverns  the  slug- 
gish waters  occasionally  rolled,  producing  a  hollow  sound, 
that  resembled  the  concussions  of  a  distant  gun.  No  sail 
whitened  the  surface,  no  whale  or  other  fish  gambolled  on  its 
bosom,  no  sign  of  use  or  service  rewarded  the  longest  and  most 
minute  gaze  at  its  boundless  expanse.  It  was  a  scene,  on  one 
side,  of  apparently  endless  forests,  while  a  waste  of  seem- 
ingly interminable  water  spread  itself  on  the  other.  Nature 
had  appeared  to  delight  in  producing  grand  effects,  by 
setting  two  of  her  principal  agents  in  bold  relief  to  each 
other,  neglecting  details  ;  the  eye  turning  from  the  broad 
carpet  of  leaves  to  the  still  broader  field  of  fluid,  from  the 
endless  but  gentle  heavings  of  the  lake,  to  the  holy  calm  and 
poetical  solitude  of  the  forest,  with  wonder  and  delight. 

Mabel  Dunham,  though  unsophisticated,  like  most  of  her 
countrywomen  of  that  period,  and  ingenuous  and  frank  as 
any  warm-hearted  and  sincere-minded  girl  well  could  be, 
was  not  altogether  without  a  feeling  for  the  poetry  of  this 
beautiful  earth  of  ours.  Although  she  could  scarcely  be 
said  to  be  educated  at  all,  for  few  of  her  sex,  at  that  day, 
and  in  this  country,  received  much  more  than  the  rudiments 
of  plain  English  instruction,  still  she  had  been  taught  much 
more  than  was  usual  for  young  women  in  her  own  station 
in  life,  and,  in  one  sense  certainly,  she  did  credit  to  her 
teaching.  The  widow  of  a  field-officer,  who  formerly  be- 
longed to  the  same  regiment  as  her  father,  had  taken  the 
child  in  charge  at  the  death  of  its  mother  ;  and  under  the 
care  of  this  lady,  Mabel  had  acquired  some  tastes,  and 


H2  tlbe  fcatbfinfcer 


many  ideas,  which  otherwise  might  always  have  remained 
strangers  to  her.  Her  situation  in  the  family  had  been 
less  that  of  a  domestic  than  of  an  humble  companion,  and 
the  results  were  quite  apparent  in  her  attire,  her  language, 
her  sentiments,  and  even  in  her  feelings,  though  neither, 
perhaps,  rose  to  the  level  of  those  which  would  properly 
characterize  a  lady.  She  had  lost  the  coarser  and  less 
refined  habits  and  manners  of  one  in  her  original  position, 
without  having  quite  reached  a  point  that  disqualified  her 
for  the  situation  in  life  that  the  accidents  of  birth  and 
fortune  would  probably  compel  her  to  fill.  All  else  that  was 
distinctive  and  peculiar  in  her,  belonged  to  natural  character. 

With  such  antecedents,  it  will  occasion  the  reader  no 
wonder  if  he  learn  that  Mabel  viewed  the  novel  scene 
before  her  with  a  pleasure  far  superior  to  that  produced  by 
vulgar  surprise.  She  felt  its  ordinary  beauties  as  most 
would  have  felt  them,  but  she  had  also  a  feeling  for  its 
sublimity  ;  for  that  softened  solitude,  that  calm  grandeur 
and  eloquent  repose,  that  ever  pervade  broad  views  of 
natural  objects  which  are  yet  undisturbed  by  the  labors  and 
struggles  of  man. 

"  How  beautiful !  "  she  exclaimed,  unconscious  of  speak- 
ing, as  she  stood  on  the  solitary  bastion,  facing  the  air  from 
the  lake,  and  experiencing  the  genial  influence  of  its  fresh- 
ness pervading  both  her  body  and  her  mind.  ' '  How  very 
beautiful ;  and  yet  how  singular  !  " 

The  words,  and  the  train  of  her  ideas,  were  interrupted 
by  a  touch  of  a  finger  on  her  shoulder,  and  turning,  in  the 
expectation  of  seeing  her  father,  Mabel  found  Pathfinder  at 
her  side.  He  was  leaning  quietly  on  his  long  rifle,  and 
laughing  in  his  quiet  manner,  while,  with  an  outstretched 
arm,  he  swept  over  the  whole  panorama  of  land  and  water. 

"Here  you  have  both  our  domains,"  he  said,  "Jasper's 
and  mine.  The  lake  is  for  him,  and  the  woods  are  for  me. 
The  lad  sometimes  boasts  of  the  breadth  of  his  dominions, 
but  I  tell  him  my  trees  make  as  broad  a  plain  on  the  face 
of  this  'arth,  as  all  his  water.  Well,  Mabel,  you  are  fit  for 
either,  for  I  do  not  see  that  fear  of  the  Mingos,  or  night 
marches,  can  destroy  your  pretty  looks." 


tTbe  ipatbfinfcer  n3 

"  It  is  a  new  character  for  the  Pathfinder  to  appear  in, 
to  compliment  a  silly  girl. ' ' 

' '  Not  silly,  Mabel ;  no,  not  in  the  least  silly.  The  ser- 
geant's daughter  would  do  discredit  to  her  worthy  father, 
were  she  to  do  or  say  anything  that,  in  common  honesty, 
could  be  called  silly." 

' '  Then  she  must  take  care  and  not  put  too  much  faith 
in  treacherous,  flattering  words.  But,  Pathfinder,  I  rejoice 
to  see  you  among  us  again ;  for,  though  Jasper  did  not 
seem  to  feel  much  uneasiness,  I  was  afraid  some  accident 
might  have  happened  to  you  and  your  friend,  on  that  fright- 
ful rift." 

"  The  lad  knows  us  both,  and  was  sartain  that  we  should 
not  drown,  which  is  scarcely  one  of  my  gifts.  It  would 
have  been  hard  swimming,  of  a  sartainty,  with  a  long- 
barrelled  rifle  in  the  hand ;  and  what  between  the  game, 
and  the  savages,  and  the  French,  Killdeer  and  I  have  gone 
through  too  much  in  company,  to  part  very  easily.  No, 
no ;  we  waded  ashore,  the  rift  being  shallow  enough  for 
that,  with  small  exceptions,  and  we  landed  with  our  arms  in 
our  hands.  We  had  to  take  our  time  for  it,  on  account  of 
the  Iroquois,  I  will  own  ;  but,  as  soon  as  the  skulking  vaga- 
bonds saw  the  lights  that  the  sergeant  sent  down  to  your 
canoe,  we  well  understood  they  would  decamp,  since  a  visit 
might  have  been  expected  from  some  of  the  garrison.  So 
it  was  only  sitting  patiently  on  the  stones,  for  an  hour,  and 
all  the  danger  was  over.  Patience  is  the  greatest  of  virtues 
in  a  woodsman." 

"I  rejoice  to  hear  this,  for  fatigue  itself  could  scarcely 
make  me  sleep,  for  thinking  of  what  might  befall  you." 

"Lord  bless  your  tender  little  heart,  Mabel !  But  this  is 
the  way  with  all  your  gentle  ones.  I  must  say,  on  my  .part, 
however,  that  I  was  right  glad  to  see  the  lanterns  come 
down  to  the  water-side,  which  I  knew  to  be  a  sure  sign  of 
your  safety.  We  hunters  and  guides  are  rude  beings,  but 
we  have  our  feelin's,  our  idees,  as  well  as  any  giniral  in  the 
army.  Both  Jasper  and  I  would  have  died,  before  you 
should  have  come  to  harm, — we  would." 

"  I  thank  you  for  all  you  did  for  me,  Pathfinder ;  from  the 


ii4 


patbfinfcer 


bottom  of  my  heart,  I  thank  you,  and  depend  on  it  my 
father  shall  know  it.  I  have  already  told  him  much,  but 
still  have  a  duty  to  perform  on  this  subject." 

"  Tush,  Mabel  !  The  sergeant  knows  what  the  woods  be, 
and  what  men,  true  redmen  be,  too.  There  is  little  need  to 
tell  him  anything  about  it.  Well,  now  you  have  met  your 
father,  do  you  find  the  honest  old  soldier  the  sort  of  person 
you  expected  to  find  ?  ' ' 

"  He  is  my  own  dear  father,  and  received  me  as  a  soldier 
and  a  father  should  receive  a  child.  Have  you  known  him 
long,  Pathfinder  ? ' ' 

"That  is  as  people  count  time.  I  was  just  twelve  when 
the  sergeant  took  me  on  my  first  scouting,  and  that  is  now 
more  than  twenty  years  ago.  We  had  a  tramping  time  of 
it,  and  as  it  was  before  your  day,  you  would  have  had  no 
father,  had  not  the  rifle  been  one  of  my  nat'ral  gifts." 

"Explain  yourself !  " 

"It  is  too  simple  for  many  words.  We  were  ambushed, 
and  the  sergeant  got  a  bad  hurt  and  would  have  lost  his 
scalp,  but  for  a  sort  of  inbred  turn  I  took  to  the  weapon. 
We  brought  him  off,  however,  and  a  handsomer  head  of 
hair,  for  his  time  of  life,  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  rijiment 
than  the  sergeant  carries  about  with  him,  this  blessed  day." 

"You  saved  my  father's  life,  Pathfinder?"  exclaimed 
Mabel,  unconsciously,  though  warmly,  taking  one  of  his 
hard,  sinewy  hands  into  both  her  own.  "God  bless  you 
for  this,  too,  among  your  other  good  acts." 

"Nay,  I  did  not  say  that  much,  though  I  believe  I  did 
save  his  scalp.  A  man  might  live  without  a  scalp,  and  so  I 
cannot  say  I  saved  his  life.  Jasper  may  say  that  much  con- 
sarning  you  ;  for  without  his  eye  and  arm  the  canoe  would 
never  have  passed  the  rift  in  safety  on  a  night  like  the  last. 
The  gifts  of  the  lad  are  for  the  water,  while  mine  are  for 
the  hunt  and  the  trail.  He  is  yonder  in  the  cove,  there, 
looking  after  the  canoes,  and  keeping  an  eye  on  his  beloved 
little  craft.  To  my  eye  there  is  no  likelier  youth  in  these 
parts  than  Jasper  Western." 

For  the  first  time  since  she  had  left  her  room,  Mabel  now 
turned  her  eyes  beneath  her,  and  got  a  view  of  what  might 


ZTbe  patbfinfcer  n5 


be  called  the  foreground  of  the  remarkable  picture  she  had 
been  studying  with  so  much  pleasure.  The  Oswego  threw 
its  dark  waters  into  the  lake  between  banks  of  some  height ; 
that  on  its  eastern  side  being  bolder  and  projecting  farther 
north  than  that  on  its  western.  The  fort  was  on  the  latter, 
and  immediately  beneath  it  were  a  few  huts  of  logs,  which, 
as  they  could  not  interfere  with  the  defence  of  the  place, 
had  been  erected  along  the  strand  for  the  purpose  of  receiv- 
ing and  containing  such  stores  as  were  landed  or  were 
intended  to  be  embarked  in  the  communications  between  the 
different  ports  on  the  shores  of  Ontario.  There  were  two 
low,  curved  gravelly  points  that  had  been  formed  with 
surprising  regularity  by  the  counteracting  forces  of  the 
northerly  winds  and  the  swift  current,  and  which,  inclining 
from  the  storms  of  the  lake,  formed  two  coves  within  the 
river.  That  on  the  western  side  was  the  most  deeply  in- 
dented, and  as  it  also  had  the  most  water,  it  formed  a  sort 
of  picturesque  little  port  for  the  post.  It  was  along  the 
narrow  strand  that  lay  between  the  low  height  of  the  fort 
and  the  water  of  this  cove,  that  the  rude  buildings  just 
mentioned  had  been  erected. 

Several  skiffs,  batteaux,  and  canoes  were  hauled  up  on  the 
shore,  and  in  the  cove  itself  lay  the  little  craft,  from  which 
Jasper  obtained  his  claim  to  be  considered  a  sailor.  She  was 
cutter-rigged,  might  have  been  of  forty  tons  burden,  was  so 
neatly  constructed  and  painted  as  to  have  something  of  the 
air  of  a  vessel  of  war,  though  entirely  without  quarters,  and 
rigged  and  sparred  with  so  scrupulous  a  regard  to  propor- 
tions and  beauty,  as  well  as  fitness  and  judgment,  as  to  give 
her  an  appearance  that  even  Mabel  at  once  distinguished  to 
be  gallant  and  trim.  Her  mould  was  admirable,  for  a  wright 
of  great  skill  had  sent  her  drafts  from  England  at  the  express 
request  of  the  officer  who  had  caused  her  to  be  constructed  ; 
her  paint  dark,  warlike,  and  neat ;  and  the  long  coach-whip 
pennant  that  she  wore  at  once  proclaimed  her  to  be  the 
property  of  the  king.  Her  name  was  the  Scud. 

"That,  then,  is  the  vessel  of  Jasper  !  "  said  Mabel,  who 
associated  the  master  of  the  little  craft  quite  naturally  with 
the  cutter  itself.  ' '  Are  there  many  others  on  this  lake  ?  ' ' 


u6  TTbe  patbfitrter 


"  The  Frenchers  have  three  ;  one  of  which  they  tell  me  is 
a  real  ship,  such  as  are  used  on  the  ocean,  another  a  brig, 
and  a  third  is  a  cutter  like  the  Scud,  here,  which  they  call 
the  Squirrel,  in  their  own  tongue,  however;  and  which 
seems  to  have  a  natural  hatred  of  our  own  pretty  boat,  for 
Jasper  seldom  goes  out  that  the  Squirrel  is  not  at  his  heels. ' ' 

"  And  is  Jasper  one  to  run  from  a  Frenchman,  though  he 
appears  in  the  shape  of  a  squirrel,  and  that,  too,  on  the 
water!" 

"  Of  what  use  would  valor  be  without  the  means  of  turn- 
ing it  to  account  ?  Jasper  is  a  brave  boy,  as  all  on  this  fron- 
tier know  ;  but  he  has  no  gun  except  a  little  howitzer,  and 
then  his  crew  consists  only  of  two  men  besides  himself,  and  a 
boy.  I  was  with  him  in  one  of  his  trampooses,  and  the 
youngster  was  risky  enough,  for  he  brought  us  so  near  the 
enemy  that  rifles  began  to  talk ;  but  the  Frenchers  carry 
cannon,  and  ports,  and  never  show  their  faces  outside  of 
Frontenac  without  having  some  twenty  men,  besides  their 
Squirrel,  in  their  cutter.  No,  no  ;  this  Scud  was  built  for 
flying,  and  the  major  says  he  will  not  put  her  in  a  fighting 
humor  by  giving  her  men  and  arms,  lest  she  should  take  him 
at  his  word  and  get  her  wings  clipped.  I  know  little  of  these 
things,  for  my  gifts  are  not  at  all  in  that  way  ;  but  I  see  the 
reason  of  the  thing — I  see  its  reason,  though  Jasper  does 
not." 

"Ah!  here  is  my  uncle,  none  the  worse  for  his  swim, 
coming  to  look  at  this  inland  sea." 

Sure  enough,  Cap,  who  had  announced  his  approach  by 
a  couple  of  lusty  hems,  now  made  his  appearance  on  the 
bastion,  where,  after  nodding  to  his  niece  and  her  companion, 
he  made  a  deliberate  survey  of  the  expanse  of  water  before 
him.  In  order  to  effect  this  at  his  ease,  the  mariner  mounted 
on  one  of  the  old  iron  guns,  folded  his  arms  across  his  breast, 
and  balanced  his  body,  as  if  he  felt  the  motion  of  a  vessel. 
To  complete  the  picture,  he  had  a  short  pipe  in  his  mouth. 

"Well,  Master  Cap,"  asked  the  Pathfinder,  innocently,  for 
he  did  not  detect  the  expression  of  contempt  that  was  gradu- 
ally settling  on  the  features  of  the  other,  "  is  it  not  a  beauti- 
ful sheet,  and  fit  to  be  named  a  sea?  " 


ZTbe  patbffnfcer  n7 

11  This,  then,  is  what  you  call  your  lake  ?  "  demanded  Cap, 
sweeping  the  northern  horizon  with  his  pipe.  ' '  I  say,  is 
this,  really,  your  lake  ? ' ' 

"  Sartain  ;  and,  if  the  judgment  of  one  who  has  lived  on 
the  shores  of  many  others  can  be  taken,  a  very  good  lake 
it  is." 

"Just  as  I  expected  !  A  pond  in  dimensions,  and  a  scuttle- 
butt in  taste.  It  is  all  in  vain  to  travel  inland,  in  the  hope 
of  seeing  anything  either  full-grown  or  useful.  I  knew  it 
would  turn  out  just  in  this  way." 

"What  is  the  matter  with  Ontario,  Master  Cap?  It  is 
large,  and  fair  to  look  at,  and  pleasant  enough  to  drink,  for 
those  who  can't  get  at  the  water  of  the  springs. " 

"  Do  you  call  this  large  ?  "  asked  Cap,  again  sweeping  the 
air  with  the  pipe.  "  I  will  just  ask  you  what  there  is  large 
about  it  ?  Did  n't  Jasper  himself  confess  that  it  was  only 
some  twenty  leagues  from  shore  to  shore  ?  ' ' 

"But  uncle, "  interposed  Mabel,  "no  land  is  to  be  seen, 
except  here  on  our  own  coast.  To  me  it  looks  exactly  like 
the  ocean." 

"This  bit  of  a  pond  look  like  the  ocean  !  Well,  Magnet, 
that  from  a  girl  who  has  had  real  seamen  in  her  family  is 
downright  nonsense.  What  is  there  about  it,  pray,  that  has 
even  the  outline  of  a  sea  on  it  ?  " 

"  Why,  there  is  water — water — water  ;  nothing  but  water, 
for  miles  on  miles,  far  as  the  eye  can  see." 

"And  is  n't  there  water — water — water,  nothing  but 
water,  for  miles  on  miles,  in  your  rivers,  that  you  have  been 
canoeing  through,  too  ?  ay,  and  '  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see,' 
in  the  bargain  ?  ' ' 

"Yes,  uncle,  but  the  rivers  have  their  banks,  and  there 
are  trees  along  them,  and  they  are  narrow." 

"And  is  n't  this  a  bank  where  we  stand  ;  don't  these  sol- 
diers call  this  the  bank  of  the  lake,  and  are  n't  there  trees  in 
thousands,  and  are  n't  twenty  leagues  narrow  enough  of  all 
conscience  ?  Who  the  devil  ever  heard  of  the  banks  of  the 
ocean,  unless  it  might  be  the  banks  that  are  under  the  water  ? ' ' 

"  But,  uncle,  we  cannot  see  across  this  lake,  as  we  can  see 
across  a  river." 


n8  Hbe  patbfinber 


"  There  you  are  out,  Magnet.  Are  n't  the  Amazon,  and 
Oronoco,  and  L,a  Plata  rivers,  and  can  you  see  across  them  ? 
Harkee,  Pathfinder,  I  very  much  doubt  if  this  stripe  of  water 
here  be  even  a  lake  ;  for  to  me  it  appears  to  be  only  a  river. 
You  are  by  no  means  particular  about  your  geography,  I 
find,  up  here  in  the  woods." 

"  There  you  are  out,  Master  Cap.  There  is  a  river,  and  a 
noble  one  too,  at  each  end  of  it ;  but  this  is  old  Ontario  before 
you,  and,  though  it  is  not  my  gift  to  live  on  a  lake,  to  my 
judgment  there  are  few  better  than  this." 

"And,  uncle,  if  we  stood  on  the  beach  at  Rockaway,  what 
more  should  we  see,  than  we  now  behold  ?  There  is  a  shore 
on  one  side,  or  banks  there,  and  trees,  too,  as  well  as  those 
which  are  here." 

"This  is  perverseness,  Magnet,  and  young  girls  should 
steer  clear  of  anything  like  obstinacy.  In  the  first  place, 
the  ocean  has  coasts,  but  no  banks,  except  the  Grand  Banks, 
as  I  tell  you,  which  are  out  of  sight  of  land ;  and  you  will 
not  pretend  that  this  bank  is  out  of  sight  of  land,  or  even 
under  water  ! ' ' 

As  Mabel  could  not  very  plausibly  set  up  this  extravagant 
opinion,  Cap  pursued  the  subject,  his  countenance  beginning 
to  discover  the  triumph  of  a  successful  disputant. 

' '  And  then  them  trees  bear  no  comparison  to  these  trees. 
The  coasts  of  the  ocean  have  farms,  and  cities,  and  country- 
seats,  and,  in  some  parts  of  the  world,  castles  and  monaster- 
ies, and  light-houses — ay,  ay,  light-houses,  in  particular,  on 
them  ;  not  one  of  all  which  things  is  to  be  seen  here.  No, 
no,  Master  Pathfinder,  I  never  heard  of  an  ocean  that  had  n't 
more  or  less  light-houses  on  it,  whereas,  hereaway,  there  is 
not  even  a  beacon." 

"There  is  what  is  better — there  's  what  is  better  :  a  forest 
and  noble  trees,  a  fit  temple  of  God." 

"  Ay,  your  forest  may  do  for  a  lake,  but  of  what  use  would 
an  ocean  be,  if  the  earth  all  around  it  were  forest  ?  Ships 
would  be  unnecessary,  as  timber  might  be  floated  in  rafts, 
and  there  would  be  an  end  of  trade,  and  what  would  a  world 
be  without  trade  !  I  am  of  that  philosopher's  opinion  who 
says  human  nature  was  invented  for  the  purposes  of  trade. 


Ube  jpatbfm&er  n9 


Magnet,  I  am  astonished  that  you  should  think  this  water 
even  looks  like  sea- water  !  Now,  I  dare  say  that  there  is  n't 
such  a  thing  as  a  whale  in  all  your  lake,  Master  Pathfinder  ! ' ' 

"I  never  heard  of  one,  I  will  confess,  but  I  am  no  judge 
of  animals  that  live  in  the  water,  unless  it  be  the  fishes  of 
the  rivers  and  brooks. ' ' 

"  Nor  a  grampus,  nor  a  porpoise  even  ;  not  so  much  as  a 
poor  devil  of  a  shark  ?  ' ' 

' '  I  will  not  take  it  on  myself  to  say  there  is  either.  My 
gifts  are  not  in  that  way,  I  tell  you,  Master  Cap." 

"Nor  herring,  nor  albatross,  nor  flying-fish?"  continued 
Cap,  who  kept  his  eye  fastened  on  the  guide,  in  order  to  see 
how  far  he  might  venture.  "  No  such  thing  as  a  fish  that 
can  fly,  I  dare  say  ?  ' ' 

' '  A  fish  that  can  fly  !  Master  Cap — Master  Cap,  do  not 
think  because  we  are  mere  borderers,  that  we  have  no  idees 
of  natur',  and  what  she  has  been  pleased  to  do.  I  know 
there  are  squirrels  that  can  fly — 

"A  squirrel  fly?  the  devil,  Master  Pathfinder!  Do  you 
suppose  that  you  have  got  a  boy  on  his  first  v'y'ge,  up  here 
among  you  ?  ' ' 

"  I  know  nothing  of  your  v'y'ges,  Master  Cap,  though  I 
suppose  them  to  have  been  many  ;  but,  as  for  what  belongs 
to  natur'  in  the  woods,  what  I  have  seen  I  may  tell,  and  not 
fear  the  face  of  man. ' ' 

"  And  do  you  wish  me  to  understand  that  you  have  seen 
a  squirrel  fly?" 

"  If  you  wish  to  understand  the  power  of  God,  Master  Cap, 
you  will  do  well  to  believe  that,  and  many  other  things  of  a 
like  natur',  for  you  may  be  quite  sartain  it  is  true." 

"And  yet,  Pathfinder,"  said  Mabel,  looking  so  pretty  and 
sweet  even  while  she  played  with  the  guide's  infirmity,  that 
he  forgave  her  in  his  heart,  "  you,  who  speak  so  reverently 
of  the  power  of  the  Deity,  appear  to  doubt  that  a  fish  can 
fly?" 

"  I  have  not  said  it— I  have  not  said  it ;  and  if  Master  Cap 
is  ready  to  testify  to  the  fact,  onlikely  as  it  seems,  I  am  will- 
ing to  try  to  think  it  true.  I  think  it  every  man's  duty  to 
believe  in  the  power  of  God,  however  difficult  it  may  be." 


I20  Ube  patbfinfcer 

"  And  why  is  n't  my  fish  as  likely  to  have  wings  as  your 
squirrel  ? ' '  demanded  Cap,  with  more  logic  than  was  his 
wont.  "That  fishes  do  and  can  fly,  is  as  true  as  it  is  reason- 
able—" 

"  Nay,  that  is  the  only  difficulty  in  believing  the  story," 
rejoined  the  guide.  "It  seems  onreasonable  to  give  an 
animal  that  lives  in  the  water  wings,  which  seemingly  can  be 
of  no  use  to  them." 

"And  do  you  suppose  that  the  fishes  are  such  asses  as  to 
fly  about  under  water,  when  they  are  once  fairly  fitted  out 
with  wings  ?  ' ' 

"  Nay,  I  know  nothing  of  the  matter,  but  that  fish  should 
fly  in  the  air  seems  more  contrary  to  natur'  still,  than  that 
they  should  fly  in  their  own  quarters ;  that  in  which  they 
were  born  and  brought  up,  as  one  might  say." 

"So  much  for  contracted  ideas,  Magnet.  The  fish  fly  out 
of  water  to  run  away  from  their  enemies  in  the  water ;  and 
there  you  see  not  only  the  fact  but  the  reason  for  it. ' ' 

' '  Then  I  suppose  it  must  be  true, ' '  said  the  guide,  quietly. 
' '  How  long  are  their  flights  ? ' ' 

"Not  quite  as  far  as  those  of  pigeons,  perhaps,  but  far 
enough  to  make  an  offing.  As  for  those  squirrels  of  yours, 
we  '11  say  no  more  about  them,  friend  Pathfinder,  as  I  sup- 
pose they  were  mentioned  just  as  a  make- weight  to  the  fish 
in  favor  of  the  woods.  But  what  is  this  thing,  anchored 
here  under  the  hill  ?  " 

"That  is  the  cutter  of  Jasper,  uncle,"  said  Mabel,  hur- 
riedly ;  "  and  a  very  pretty  vessel  I  think  it  is.  Its  name, 
too,  is  the  Scud." 

"Ay,  it  will  do  well  enough  for  a  lake,  perhaps,  but  it 's 
no  great  affair.  The  lad  has  got  a  standing  bowsprit,  and 
who  ever  saw  a  cutter  with  a  standing  bowsprit  before  !  " 

' '  But  may  there  not  be  some  good  reason  for  it,  on  a  lake 
like  this,  uncle  ? ' ' 

"Sure  enough;  I  must  remember  this  is  not  the  ocean, 
though  it  does  look  so  much  like  it." 

"Ah  !  uncle,  then  Ontario  does  look  like  the  ocean,  after 
all!" 

"  In  your  eyes,  I  mean,  and  those  of  Pathfinder ;  not  in 


Ube  jpatbfinfcer  121 

the  least  in  mine,  Magnet.  Now  you  might  see  me  down 
out  yonder,  in  the  middle  of  this  bit  of  a  pond,  and  that  too 
in  the  darkest  night  that  ever  fell  from  the  heavens,  and  in 
the  smallest  canoe,  and  I  could  tell  you  it  was  only  a  lake. 
For  that  matter  the  Dorothy" — the  name  of  his  vessel — 
' '  would  find  it  out  as  quick  as  I  could  myself.  I  do  not 
believe  that  brig  would  make  more  than  a  couple  of  short 
stretches  at  the  most,  before  she  would  perceive  the  differ- 
ence between  Ontario  and  the  old  Atlantic.  I  once  took 
her  down  into  one  of  the  large  South  American  bays,  and 
she  behaved  herself  as  awkwardly  as  a  booby  would  in  a 
church,  with  the  congregation  in  a  hurry.  And  Jasper  sails 
that  boat  ?  I  must  have  a  cruise  with  the  lad,  Magnet,  be- 
fore I  quit  you,  just  for  the  name  of  the  thing.  It  would 
never  do  to  say  I  got  in  sight  of  this  pond,  and  went  away 
without  taking  a  trip  on  it." 

"Well,  well,  you  needn't  wait  long  for  that,"  returned 
Pathfinder ;  ' '  for  the  sergeant  is  about  to  embark  with  a 
party,  to  relieve  a  post  among  the  Thousand  Islands ;  and, 
as  I  heard  him  say  he  intended  that  Mabel  should  go  along, 
you  can  join  company  too." 

"  Is  this  true,  Magnet  ?  " 

"  I  believe  it  is,"  returned  the  girl,  a  flush  so  imperceptible 
as  to  escape  the  observation  of  her  companions,  glowing  on 
her  cheeks,  "  though  I  have  had  so  little  opportunity  to  talk 
with  my  dear  father,  that  I  am  not  quite  certain.  Here  he 
comes,  however,  and  you  can  inquire  of  himself. ' ' 

Notwithstanding  his  humble  rank,  there  was  something  in 
the  mien  and  character  of  Sergeant  Dunham  that  commanded 
respect.  Of  a  tall,  imposing  figure,  grave  and  saturnine  dis- 
position, and  accurate  and  precise  in  his  acts  and  manner 
of  thinking,  even  Cap,  dogmatical  and  supercilious  as  he 
usually  was  with  landsmen,  did  not  presume  to  take  the 
same  liberties  with  the  old  soldier  as  he  did  with  his  other 
friends.  It  was  often  remarked  that  Sergeant  Dunham  re- 
ceived more  true  respect  from  Duncan  of  Lundie,  the  Scotch 
laird  who  commanded  the  post,  than  most  of  the  subalterns ; 
for  experience  and  tried  services  were  of  quite  as  much  value 
in  the  eyes  of  a  veteran  major,  as  birth  and  money.  While 


the  sergeant  never  even  hoped  to  rise  any  higher,  he  so  far 
respected  himself  and  his  present  station,  as  always  to  act 
in  a  way  to  command  attention  ;  and  the  habit  of  mixing  so 
much  with  inferiors,  whose  passions  and  dispositions  he  felt 
it  necessary  to  restrain  by  distance  and  dignity,  had  so  far 
colored  his  whole  deportment  that  few  were  altogether  free 
from  its  influence.  While  the  captains  treated  him  kindly, 
and  as  an  old  comrade,  the  lieutenants  seldom  ventured  to 
dissent  from  his  military  opinions  ;  and  the  ensigns,  it  was 
remarked,  actually  manifested  a  species  of  respect  that 
amounted  to  something  very  like  deference.  It  is  no  won- 
der then  that  the  announcement  of  Mabel  put  a  sudden 
termination  to  the  singular  dialogue  we  have  just  related, 
though  it  had  been  often  observed  that  the  Pathfinder  was 
the  only  man  on  that  frontier,  beneath  the  condition  of  a 
gentleman,  who  presumed  to  treat  the  sergeant  at  all  as  an 
equal,  or  even  with  the  cordial  familiarity  of  a  friend. 

"Good  morrow,  brother  Cap,"  said  the  sergeant,  giving 
the  military  salute,  as  he  walked  in  a  grave,  stately  manner 
on  the  bastion.  ' '  My  morning  duty  has  made  me  seem 
forgetful  of  you  and  Mabel,  but  we  have  now  an  hour  or 
two  to  spare,  and  to  get  acquainted.  Do  you  not  perceive, 
brother,  a  strong  likeness  in  the  girl  to  her  we  have  so  long 
lost?" 

' '  Mabel  is  the  image  of  her  mother,  sergeant,  as  I  have 
always  said,  with  a  little  of  your  firmer  figure  ;  though  for 
that  matter  the  Caps  were  never  wanting  in  spring  and 
activity." 

Mabel  cast  a  timid  glance  at  the  stern,  rigid  countenance 
of  her  father,  of  whom  she  had  ever  thought  as  the  warm- 
hearted dwell  on  the  affection  of  their  absent  parents,  and, 
as  she  saw  that  the  muscles  of  his  face  were  working,  not- 
withstanding the  stiffness  and  method  of  his  manner,  her 
very  heart  yearned  to  throw  herself  on  his  bosom,  and  to 
weep  at  will.  But  he  was  so  much  colder  in  externals,  so 
much  more  formal  and  distant  than  she  had  expected  to  find 
him,  that  she  would  not  have  dared  to  hazard  the  freedom, 
even  had  they  been  alone. 

"You   have    taken   a   long    and    troublesome  journey, 


ZTbe 


123 


brother,  on  my  account,  and  we  will  try  to  make  you  com- 
fortable while  you  stay  among  us. ' ' 

' '  I  hear  you  are  likely  to  receive  orders  to  lift  your 
anchor,  sergeant,  and  to  shift  your  berth  into  a  part  of  the 
world  where  they  say  there  are  a  thousand  islands  ? ' ' 

"  Pathfinder,  this  is  some  of  your  forgetfulness  ?  " 

' '  Nay,  nay,  sergeant ;  I  forgot  nothing,  but  it  did  not 
seem  to  me  necessary  to  hide  your  intentions  so  very  closely 
from  your  own  flesh  and  blood." 

' '  All  military  movements  ought  to  be  made  with  as  little 
conversation  as  possible, ' '  returned  the  sergeant,  tapping  the 
guide's  shoulder,  in  a  friendly,  but  reproachful  manner. 
"You  have  passed  too  much  of  your  life  in  front  of  the 
French,  not  to  know  the  value  of  silence.  But,  no  matter ; 
the  thing  must  soon  be  known,  and  there  is  no  great  use  in 
trying,  now,  to  conceal  it.  We  shall  embark  a  relief  party, 
shortly,  for  a  post  on  the  lake,  though  I  do  not  say  it  is  for 
the  Thousand  Islands,  and  I  may  have  to  go  with  it ;  in 
which  case  I  intend  to  take  Mabel  to  make  my  broth  for  me, 
and  I  hope,  brother,  you  will  not  despise  a  soldier's  fare,  for 
a  month  or  so." 

' '  That  will  depend  on  the  manner  of  marching.  I  have 
no  love  for  woods  and  swamps." 

' '  We  shall  sail  in  the  Scud ;  and,  indeed,  the  whole 
service,  which  is  no  stranger  to  us,  is  likely  enough  to 
please  one  accustomed  to  the  water. ' ' 

' '  Ay,  to  salt  water,  if  you  will,  but  not  to  lake  water. 
If  you  have  no  person  to  handle  that  bit  of  a  cutter  for 
you,  I  have  no  objection  to  ship  for  the  v'y'ge,  notwith- 
standing, though  I  shall  look  on  the  whole  affair  as  so  much 
time  thrown  away  ;  for  I  consider  it  an  imposition  to  call 
sailing  about  this  pond,  going  to  sea." 

' '  Jasper  is  every  way  able  to  manage  the  Scud,  brother 
Cap,  and  in  that  light  I  cannot  say  that  we  have  need  of 
your  services,  though  we  shall  be  glad  of  your  company. 
You  cannot  return  to  the  settlements  until  a  party  is  sent 
in,  and  that  is  not  likely  to  happen  until  after  my  return. 
Well,  Pathfinder,  this  is  the  first  time  I  ever  knew  men  on 
the  trail  of  the  Mingos,  and  you  not  at  their  head  !  " 


124  ^be  jpatbfmfcer 


"To  be  honest  with  you,  sergeant,"  returned  the  guide, 
not  without  a  little  awkwardness  of  manner,  and  a  percep- 
tible difference  in  the  hue  of  a  face  that  had  become  so 
uniformly  red  by  exposure,  ' '  I  have  not  felt  that  it  was  my 
gift,  this  morning.  In  the  first  place,  I  very  well  know 
that  the  soldiers  of  the  55th  are  not  the  lads  to  overtake 
Iroquois  in  the  woods,  and  the  knaves  did  not  wait  to  be 
surrounded,  when  they  knew  that  Jasper  had  reached  the 
garrison.  Then,  a  man  may  take  a  little  rest,  after  a  sum- 
mer of  hard  work,  and  no  impeachment  of  his  good  will. 
Besides,  the  Sarpent  is  out  with  them,  and  if  the  miscreants 
are  to  be  found  at  all,  you  may  trust  to  his  inmity  and 
sight :  the  first  being  stronger,  and  the  last,  nearly,  if  not 
quite,  as  good  as  my  own.  He  loves  the  skulking  vaga- 
bonds as  little  as  myself;  and,  for  that  matter,  I  may  say 
that  my  own  feelin's  towards  a  Mingo  are  not  much  more 
than  the  gifts  of  a  Delaware  grafted  on  a  Christian  stock. 
No,  no ;  I  thought  I  would  leave  the  honor,  this  time,  if 
honor  there  is  to  be,  to  the  young  ensign  that  commands, 
who,  if  he  don't  lose  his  scalp,  may  boast  of  his  campaign 
in  his  letters  to  his  mother,  when  he  gets  in.  I  thought  I 
would  play  idler  once  in  my  life." 

"And  no  one  has  a  better  right,  if  long  and  faithful 
service  entitles  a  man  to  a  furlough, ' '  returned  the  sergeant, 
kindly.  "  Mabel  will  think  none  the  worse  of  you,  for  pre- 
ferring her  company  to  the  trail  of  the  savages  ;  and,  I  dare 
say,  will  be  happy  to  give  you  a  part  of  her  breakfast,  if 
you  are  inclined  to  eat.  You  must  not  think,  girl,  however, 
that  the  Pathfinder  is  in  the  habit  of  letting  prowlers  around 
the  fort  beat  a  retreat,  without  hearing  the  crack  of  his 
rifle." 

"If  I  thought  she  did,  sergeant,  though  not  much  given 
to  showy  and  parade  evolutions,  I  would  shoulder  Killdeer 
and  quit  the  garrison  before  her  pretty  eyes  had  time 
to  frown.  No,  no  ;  Mabel  knows  me  better,  though  we 
are  but  new  acquaintances,  for  there  has  been  no  want  of 
Mingos  to  enliven  the  short  march  we  have  already  made 
in  company." 

"  It  would  need  a  great  deal  of  testimony,  Pathfinder,  to 


tTbe  jpatbfinfcer  125 


make  me  think  ill  of  you  in  any  way,  and  more  than  all  in 
the  way  you  mention,"  returned  Mabel,  coloring  with  the 
sincere  earnestness  with  which  she  endeavored  to  remove 
any  suspicion  to  the  contrary  from  his  mind.  ' '  Both  father 
and  daughter,  I  believe,  owe  you  their  lives,  and  believe  me 
that  neither  will  ever  forget  it. ' ' 

"Thank  you,  Mabel,  thank  you  with  all  my  heart.  But 
I  will  not  take  advantage  of  your  ignorance  neither,  girl, 
and  therefore  shall  say  I  do  not  think  the  Mingos  would 
have  hurt  a  hair  of  your  head,  had  they  succeeded  by  their 
deviltries  and  contrivances  in  getting  you  into  their  hands. 
My  scalp,  and  Jasper's,  and  Master  Cap's,  there,  and  the 
Sarpent's  too,  would  sartainly  have  been  smoked  ;  but  as 
for  the  sergeant's  daughter,  I  do  not  think  they  would  have 
hurt  a  hair  of  her  head  ! ' ' 

' '  And  why  should  I  suppose  that  enemies  known  to  spare 
neither  women  nor  children,  would  have  shown  more  mercy 
to  me  than  to  another  ?  I  feel,  Pathfinder,  that  I  owe  you 
my  life." 

"  I  say  nay,  Mabel ;  they  wouldn't  have  had  the  heart  to 
hurt  you.  No,  not  even  a  fiery  Mingo  devil  would  have 
had  the  heart  to  hurt  a  hair  of  your  head  !  Bad  as  I  sus- 
pect the  vampires  to  be,  I  do  not  suspect  them  of  anything 
so  wicked  as  that.  They  might  have  wished  you — nay, 
forced  you  to  become  the  wife  of  one  of  their  chiefs,  and 
that  would  be  torment  enough  to  a  Christian  young  woman  ; 
but  beyond  that  I  do  not  think  even  the  Mingos  themselves 
would  have  gone." 

' '  Well,  then,  I  shall  owe  my  escape  from  this  great  mis- 
fortune to  you,"  said  Mabel,  taking  his  hand  into  her  own, 
frankly  and  cordially,  and  certainly  in  a  way  to  delight  the 
honest  guide.  ' '  To  me  it  would  be  a  lighter  evil  to  be 
killed,  than  to  become  the  wife  of  an  Indian." 

"That  is  her  gift,  sergeant,"  exclaimed  Pathfinder,  turn- 
ing to  his  old  comrade,  with  gratification  written  on  every 
lineament  of  his  honest  countenance,  "and  it  will  have  its 
way.  I  tell  the  Sarpent,  that  no  Christianizing  will  ever 
make  even  a  Delaware  a  white  man  ;  nor  any  whooping 
and  yelling  convart  a  pale-face  into  a  redskin.  That  is  the 


126 


TTbe  jpatbfinfcer 


gift  of  a  young  woman  born  of  Christian  parents,  and  it 
ought  to  be  maintained." 

' '  You  are  right,  Pathfinder  ;  and  so  far  as  Mabel  Dunham 
is  concerned,  it  shall  be  maintained.  But  it  is  time  to  break 
your  fasts,  and  if  you  will  follow  me,  brother  Cap,  I  will 
show  you  how  we  poor  soldiers  live,  here  on  a  distant 
frontier." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

"  Now,  my  co-mates  and  brothers  in  exile, 
Hath  not  old  custom  made  this  life  more  sweet 
Than  that  of  painted  pomp  ?    Are  not  these  woods 
More  free  from  peril  than  the  envious  court  ? 
Here  feel  we  but  the  penalty  of  Adam.  " 

As  You  Like  It. 

SERGEANT  DUNHAM  made  no  empty  vaunt  when 
he  gave  the  promise  conveyed  in  the  closing  words 
of  the  last  chapter.  Notwithstanding  the  remote 
frontier  position  of  the  post,  they  who  lived  at  it 
enjoyed  a  table  that,  in  many  respects,  kings  and  princes 
might  have  envied.  At  the  period  of  our  tale,  and  indeed 
for  half  a  century  later,  the  whole  of  that  vast  region  which 
has  been  called  the  West,  or  the  new  countries,  since  the  war 
of  the  Revolution,  lay  a  comparatively  unpeopled  desert, 
teeming  with  all  the  living  productions  of  nature  that  prop- 
erly belonged  to  the  climate,  man  and  the  domestic  animals 
excepted.  The  few  Indians  that  roamed  its  forests  then 
could  produce  no  visible  effects  on  the  abundance  of  the 
game  ;  and  the  scattered  garrisons,  or  occasional  hunters 
that  here  and  there  were  to  be  met  with  on  that  vast  surface, 
had  no  other  influence  than  the  bee  on  the  buckwheat  field, 
or  the  humming-bird  on  the  flower. 

The  marvels  that  have  descended  to  our  own  times,  in  the 
way  of  tradition,  concerning  the  quantities  of  beasts,  birds, 
and  fishes,  that  were  then  to  be  met  with,  on  the  shores  of 
the  Great  Lakes  in  particular,  are  known  to  be  sustained  by 
the  experience  of  living  men,  else  we  might  hesitate  about 
relating  them ;  but  having  been  eye-witnesses  of  some  of 
these  prodigies,  our  office  shall  be  discharged  with  the  con- 
127 


i28  ftbe  patbfin&er 


fidence  that  certainty  can  impart.  Oswego  was  particularly 
well  placed  to  keep  the  larder  of  an  epicure  amply  supplied. 
Fish  of  various  sorts  abounded  in  its  river,  and  the  sports- 
man had  only  to  cast  his  line  to  haul  in  a  bass,  or  some 
other  member  of  the  finny  tribe,  which  then  peopled  the 
waters,  as  the  air  above  the  swamps  of  this  fruitful  latitude 
is  known  to  be  filled  with  insects.  Among  others  was  the 
salmon  of  the  lakes,  a  variety  of  that  well  known  species 
that  is  scarcely  inferior  to  the  delicious  salmon  of  northern 
Europe.  Of  the  different  migratory  birds  that  frequent 
forests  and  waters,  there  was  the  same  affluence,  hundreds 
of  acres  of  geese  and  ducks  being  often  seen  at  a  time,  in  the 
great  bays  that  indent  the  shores  of  the  lake.  Deer,  bears, 
rabbits,  and  squirrels,  with  divers  other  quadrupeds,  among 
which  was  sometimes  included  the  elk  or  moose,  helped  to 
complete  the  sum  of  the  natural  supplies,  on  which  all  the 
posts  depended,  more  or  less,  to  relieve  the  unavoidable 
privations  of  their  remote  frontier  positions. 

In  a  place  where  viands  that  would  elsewhere  be  deemed 
great  luxuries  were  so  abundant,  no  one  was  excluded  from 
their  enjoyment.  The  meanest  individual  at  Oswego  habit- 
ually feasted  on  game  that  would  have  formed  the  boast  of 
a  Parisian  table  ;  and  it  was  no  more  than  a  healthful  com- 
mentary on  the  caprices  of  taste  and  of  the  waywardness 
of  human  desires,  that  the  very  diet  which  in  other  scenes 
would  have  been  deemed  the  subject  of  envy  and  repinings, 
got  to  pall  on  the  appetite.  The  coarse  and  regular  food 
of  the  army,  which  it  became  necessary  to  husband  on 
account  of  the  difficulty  of  transportation,  rose  in  the  esti- 
mation of  the  common  soldier,  and  at»  any  time  he  would 
cheerfully  desert  his  venison,  and  ducks,  and  pigeons,  and 
salmon,  to  banquet  on  the  sweets  of  pickled  pork,  stringy 
turnips,  and  half-cooked  cabbage. 

The  table  of  Sergeant  Dunham,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
partook  of  the  abundance  and  luxuries  of  the  frontier  as 
well  as  of  its  privations.  A  delicious  broiled  salmon 
smoked  on  a  homely  platter,  hot  venison  steaks  sent  up 
their  appetizing  odors,  and  several  dishes  of  cold  meats,  all 
of  which  were  composed  of  game,  had  been  set  before  the 


Ube  jpatbfinfcer  129 


guests  in  honor  of  the  newly  arrived  visitors,  and  in  vindi- 
cation of  the  old  soldier's  hospitality. 

' '  You  do  not  seem  to  be  on  short  allowance  in  this  quar- 
ter of  the  world,  sergeant,"  said  Cap,  after  he  had  got  fairly 
initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  the  different  dishes;  "your 
salmon  might  satisfy  a  Scotsman." 

' '  It  fails  to  do  it,  notwithstanding,  brother  Cap ;  for 
among  two  or  three  hundred  of  the  fellows  that  we  have  in 
this  garrison,  there  are  not  half  a  dozen  who  will  not  swear 
that  the  fish  is  unfit  to  be  eaten.  Even  some  of  the  lads 
who  never  tasted  venison,  except  as  poachers,  at  home,  turn 
up  their  noses  at  the  fattest  haunches  that  we  get  here." 

"Ay,  that  is  Christian  natur',"  put  in  Pathfinder,  "and 
I  must  say  it  is  none  to  its  credit.  Now,  a  redskin  never 
repines,  but  is  always  thankful  for  the  food  he  gets,  whether  it 
be  fat  or  lean,  venison  or  bear,  wild  turkey's  breast  or  wild 
goose's  wing.  To  the  shame  of  us  white  men  be  it  said  that 
we  look  upon  blessings  without  satisfaction,  and  consider 
trifling  evils  matters  of  great  account." 

"  It  is  so  with  the  55th,  as  I  can  answer,  though  I  cannot 
say  as  much  for  their  Christianity,"  returned  the  sergeant. 
"  Even  the  major  himself,  old  Duncan  of  Lundie,  will  some- 
times swear  an  oatmeal  cake  is  better  fare  than  the  Oswego 
bass,  and  sigh  for  a  swallow  of  Highland  water,  when,  if 
so  minded,  he  has  the  whole  of  Ontario  to  quench  his  thirst 
in." 

"  Has  Major  Duncan  a  wife  and  children  ? "  asked  Mabel, 
whose  thoughts  naturally  turned  towards  her  own  sex  in  her 
new  situation. 

"  Not  he,  girl ;  though  they  do  say  that  he  has  a  betrothed 
at  home.  The  lady,  it  seems,  is  willing  to  wait  rather  than 
suffer  the  hardships  of  service  in  this  wild  region,  all  of 
which,  brother  Cap,  is  not  according  to  my  notions  of  a 
woman's  duties.  Your  sister  thought  differently,  and  had 
it  pleased  God  to  spare  her  would  have  been  sitting  at  this 
moment  on  the  very  camp-stool  that  her  daughter  so  well 
becomes. ' ' 

' '  I  hope,  sergeant,  you  do  not  think  of  Mabel  for  a  sol- 
dier's wife,"  returned  Cap,  gravely.  "  Our  family  has  done 


1 3o  Ube  jpatbfinfcer 


its  share  in  that  way  already,  and  it 's  high  time  that  the  sea 
was  again  remembered." 

"I  do  not  think  of  finding  a  husband  for  the  girl  in  the 
55th,  or  any  other  regiment,  I  can  promise  you,  brother, 
though  I  do  think  it  getting  to  be  time  that  the  child  were 
respectably  married. ' ' 

"Father  !" 

"  "T  is  not  their  gifts,  sergeant,  to  talk  of  these  matters  in 
so  open  a  manner,"  said  the  guide,  "  for  I've  seen  it  ver- 
ified by  exper'ence,  that  he  who  would  follow  the  trail  of  a 
virgin's  good-will  must  not  go  shouting  out  his  thoughts 
behind  her.  So,  if  you  please,  we  will  talk  of  something 
else." 

"  Well,  then,  brother  Cap,  I  hope  that  bit  of  a  cold 
roasted  pig  is  to  your  mind  ;  you  seem  to  fancy  the  food. ' ' 

"  Ay,  ay,  give  we  civilized  grub,  if  I  must  eat,"  re- 
turned the  pertinacious  seaman.  "  Venison  is  well  enough 
for  your  inland  sailors,  but  we  of  the  ocean  like  a  little  of 
that  which  we  understand." 

Here  Pathfinder  laid  down  his  knife  and  fork,  and  in- 
dulged in  a  hearty  laugh,  though  always  in  his  silent 
manner ;  then  he  asked,  with  a  little  curiosity  in  his 
manner, — 

"Don't  you  miss  the  skin,  Master  Cap  —  don't  you  miss 
the  skin?" 

"  It  would  have  been  better  for  its  jacket,  I  think  myself, 
Pathfinder ;  but  I  suppose  it  is  a  fashion  of  the  woods  to 
serve  up  shoats  in  this  style.  " 

"Well,  well,  a  man  may  go  round  the  'arth  and  not  know 
everything  !  If  you  had  had  the  skinning  of  that  pig,  Master 
Cap,  it  would  have  left  you  sore  hands.  The  creatur'  is 
a  hedge-hog!" 

"Blast  me,  if  I  thought  it  wholesome  natural  pork, 
either,"  returned  Cap.  "But  then  I  believed  even  a  pig 
might  lose  some  of  its  good  qualities,  up  hereaway,  in  the 
woods.  It  seemed  no  more  than  reason  that  a  fresh-water 
hog  should  not  be  altogether  so  good  as  a  salt-water  hog. 
I  suppose,  sergeant,  by  this  time,  it  is  all  the  same  to  you  !  " 

"  If  the  skinning  of  it,  brother,  does  not  fall  to  my  duty. 


ZTbe  jpatbfinfcer  131 


Pathfinder  I  hope  you  did  n't  find  Mabel  disobedient  on  the 
march  ? ' ' 

"Not  she — not  she.  If  Mabel  is  only  half  as  well 
satisfied  with  Jasper  and  the  Pathfinder,  as  the  Pathfinder 
and  Jasper  are  satisfied  with  her,  sergeant,  we  shall  be 
friends  for  the  remainder  of  our  days." 

As  the  guide  spoke,  he  turned  his  eyes  toward  the  blush- 
ing girl,  with  a  sort  of  innocent  desire  to  know  her  opinion, 
and  then,  with  an  inborn  delicacy  that  proved  he  was  far 
superior  to  the  vulgar  desire  to  invade  the  sanctity  of  femi- 
nine feeling,  he  looked  at  his  plate,  and  seemed  to  regret 
his  own  boldness. 

"  Well,  well,  we  must  remember  that  women  are  not  men, 
my  friend, ' '  resumed  the  sergeant,  ' '  and  make  proper  allow- 
ances for  nature  and  education.  A  recruit  is  not  a  veteran. 
Any  man  knows  that  it  takes  longer  to  make  a  good 
soldier  than  it  takes  to  make  anything  else ;  and  it  ought  to 
require  unusual  time  to  make  a  good  soldier's  daughter." 

This  is  new  doctrine,  sergeant, ' '  said  Cap,  with  some 
spirit.  ' '  We  old  seamen  are  apt  to  think  that  six  soldiers, 
ay,  and  capital  soldiers  too,  might  be  made,  while  one 
sailor  is  getting  his  education." 

"Ay,  brother  Cap,  I  've  seen  something  of  the  opinions 
which  seafaring  men  have  of  themselves,"  returned  the 
brother-in-law,  with  a  smile  as  bland  as  comported  with  his 
saturnine  features  ;  ' '  for  I  was  many  years  one  of  the  gar- 
rison in  a  sea-port.  You  and  I  have  conversed  on  the  sub- 
ject before,  and  I  'm  afraid  we  shall  never  agree.  But  if  you 
wish  to  know  what  the  difference  is,  between  a  real  soldier 
and  man  in  what  I  should  call  a  state  of  nature,  you  have 
only  to  look  at  a  battalion  of  the  55th,  on  parade  this 
afternoon,  and  then,  when  you  get  back  to  York,  examine 
one  of  the  militia  regiments  making  its  greatest  efforts. ' ' 

"Well,  to  my  eye,  sergeant,  there  is  very  little  difference, 
not  more  than  you  '11  find  between  a  brig  and  a  snow.  To 
me  they  seem  alike  ;  all  scarlet,  and  feathers,  and  powder, 
and  pipe-clay." 

"So  much,  sir,  for  the  judgment  of  a  sailor,"  returned 
the  sergeant  with  dignity  ;  ' '  but  perhaps  you  are  not  aware 


I32  trbe  patbfin&er 


that  it  requires  a  year  to  teach  a  true  soldier  how  to 
eat." 

"  So  much  the  worse  for  him  !  The  militia  know  how 
to  eat  at  starting ;  for  I  have  often  heard  that,  on  their 
marches,  they  commonly  eat  all  before  them,  even  if  they  do 
nothing  else." 

"They  have  their  gifts,  I  suppose,  like  other  men,"  ob- 
served Pathfinder,  with  a  view  to  preserve  the  peace,  which 
was  evidently  in  some  danger  of  being  broken,  by  the  obsti- 
nate predilection  of  each  of  the  disputants  in  favor  of  his 
own  calling ;  ' '  and  when  a  man  has  his  gift  from  Provi- 
dence, it  is  commonly  idle  to  endeavor  to  bear  up  ag'in  it. 
The  55th,  sergeant,  is  a  judicious  rijiment,  in  the  way  of 
eating,  as  I  know,  from  having  been  so  long  in  its  company, 
though  I  dare  say  militia  corps  could  be  found  that  would 
outdo  them  in  feats  of  that  natur'  too." 

"Uncle,"  said  Mabel, "if  you  have  breakfasted,  I  will 
thank  you  to  go  out  upon  the  bastion  with  me  again.  We 
have  neither  of  us  seen  the  lake,  and  it  would  be  hardly 
seemly  for  a  young  woman  to  be  walking  about  the  fort,  the 
first  day  of  her  arrival,  quite  alone." 

Cap  understood  the  motive  of  Mabel,  and  having,  at  the 
bottom,  a  hearty  friendship  for  his  brother-in-law,  he  was 
willing  enough  to  defer  the  argument  until  they  had  been 
longer  together,  for  the  idea  of  abandoning  it  altogether 
never  crossed  the  mind  of  one  so  dogmatical  and  obstinate. 
He  accordingly  accompanied  his  niece,  leaving  Sergeant 
Dunham  and  his  friend,  the  Pathfinder,  alone  together.  As 
soon  as  his  adversary  had  beaten  a  retreat,  the  sergeant, 
who  did  not  quite  so  well  understand  the  manoeuvre  of  his 
daughter,  turned  to  his  companion,  and  with  a  smile  that 
was  not  without  triumph,  he  remarked, — 

"The  army,  Pathfinder,  has  never  yet  done  itself  justice  ; 
and,  though  modesty  becomes  a  man  whether  he  is  in  a  red 
coat  or  a  black  one,  or,  for  that  matter,  in  his  shirt-sleeves, 
I  don't  like  to  let  a  good  opportunity  slip  of  saying  a  word 
in  its  behalf.  Well,  my  friend,"  laying  his  own  hand  on 
one  of  the  Pathfinder's,  and  giving  it  a  hearty  squeeze, 
"  how  do  you  like  the  girl  ?  " 


tTbe  jpatbfinfcer  i33 


"  You  have  reason  to  be  proud  of  her,  sergeant ;  you  have 
reason  to  be  proud  at  finding  yourself  the  father  of  so 
handsome  and  well-mannered  a  young  woman.  I  have  seen 
many  of  her  sex,  and  some  that  were  great  and  beautiful, 
but  never  before  did  I  meet  with  one,  in  whom  I  thought 
Providence  had  so  well  balanced  the  different  gifts." 

"And  the  good  opinion,  I  can  tell  you,  Pathfinder,  is 
mutual.  She  told  me  last  night  all  about  your  coolness, 
and  spirit,  and  kindness,  particularly  the  last ;  for  kindness 
counts  for  more  than  half  with  females,  my  friend,  and  the 
first  inspection  seems  to  give  satisfaction  on  both  sides. 
Brush  up  the  uniform,  and  pay  a  little  more  attention  to 
the  outside,  Pathfinder,  and  you  will  have  the  girl  heart 
and  hand." 

"  Nay,  nay,  sergeant,  I  've  forgotten  nothing  that  you  have 
told  me,  and  grudge  no  reasonable  pains  to  make  myself  as 
pleasant  in  the  eyes  of  Mabel,  as  she  is  getting  to  be  in 
mine.  I  cleaned  and  brightened  up  Killdeer,  this  morning, 
as  soon  as  the  sun  rose ;  and,  in  my  judgment,  the  piece 
never  looked  better  than  it  does  at  this  very  moment ! ' ' 

"  That  is  according  to  your  hunting  notions,  Pathfinder  ; 
but  fire-arms  should  sparkle  and  glitter  in  the  sun,  and  I 
never  yet  could  see  any  beauty  in  a  clouded  barrel." 

"lyord  Howe  thought  otherwise,  sergeant;  and  he  was 
accounted  a  good  soldier  ! ' ' 

"Very  true;  his  lordship  had  all  the  barrels  of  his  regi- 
ment darkened,  and  what  good  came  of  it  ?  You  can  see 
his  scutcheon  hanging  in  the  English  church  at  Albany  ! 
No,  no,  my  worthy  friend,  a  soldier  should  be  a  soldier,  and 
at  no  time  ought  he  to  be  ashamed  or  afraid  to  carry  about 
him  the  signs  and  symbols  of  his  honorable  trade.  Had 
you  much  discourse  with  Mabel,  Pathfinder,  as  you  came 
along  in  the  canoe  ?  ' ' 

"There  was  not  much  opportunity,  sergeant,  and  then  I 
found  myself  so  much  beneath  her  in  idees,  that  I  was  afraid 
to  speak  of  much  beyond  what  belonged  to  my  own  gifts." 

"Therein  you  are  partly  right  and  partly  wrong,  my 
friend.  Women  love  trifling  discourse,  though  they  like  to 
have  most  of  it  to  themselves.  Now,  you  know,  I  'm  a  man 


i34  ttbe  patbffn&er 


that  do  not  loosen  my  tongue  at  every  giddy  thought,  and 
yet  there  were  days  when  I  could  see  that  Mabel's  mother 
thought  none  the  worse  of  me,  because  I  descended  a  little 
from  my  manhood.  It  is  true,  I  was  twenty-two  years 
younger  then,  than  I  am  to-day ;  and,  moreover,  instead 
of  being  the  oldest  sergeant  in  the  regiment,  I  was  the 
youngest.  Dignity  is  commanding  and  useful,  and  there 
is  no  getting  on  without  it,  as  respects  the  men  ;  but  if  you 
would  be  thoroughly  esteemed  by  a  woman,  it  is  necessary 
to  condescend  a  little,  on  occasions." 

"  Ah  's  me  !  sergeant ;  I  sometimes  fear  it  will  never  do  !  " 

"Why  do  you  think  so  discouragingly  of  a  matter  on 
which  I  thought  both  our  minds  were  made  up  ?  " 

' '  We  did  agree  that  if  Mabel  should  prove  what  you  told 
me  she  was,  if  the  girl  could  fancy  a  rude  hunter  and  guide, 
that  I  would  quit  some  of  my  wandering  ways,  and  try  to 
humanize  my  mind  down  to  a  wife  and  children.  But  since 
I  have  seen  the  girl,  I  will  own  that  many  misgivin's  have 
come  over  me  !  " 

"How's  this!"  interrupted  the  sergeant,  sternly;  "did 
I  not  understand  you  to  say  that  you  were  pleased  ?  And 
is  Mabel  a  young  woman  to  disappoint  expectation  ? ' ' 

"Ah!  sergeant,  it  is  not  Mabel  that  I  distrust,  but  my- 
self. I  am  but  a  poor  ignorant  woodsman,  after  all,  and 
perhaps  I  'm  not,  in  truth,  as  good  as  even  you  and  I  may 
think  me!" 

"If  you  doubt  your  own  judgment  of  yourself,  Path- 
finder, I  beg  you  will  not  doubt  mine.  Am  I  not  accustomed 
to  judge  men's  characters?  Is  it  not  my  especial  duty,  and 
am  I  often  deceived?  Ask  Major  Duncan,  sir,  if  you 
desire  any  assurances  in  this  particular." 

"But,  sergeant,  we  have  long  been  friends;  have  fou't 
side  by  side  a  dozen  times,  and  have  done  each  other  many 
sarvices.  When  this  is  the  case,  men  are  apt  to  think 
over-kindly  of  each  other,  and  I  fear  me  that  the  daughter 
may  not  be  so  likely  to  view  a  plain,  ignorant  hunter  as 
favorably  as  the  father  does." 

"Tut,  tut,  Pathfinder!  you  don't  know  yourself,  man, 
and  may  put  all  faith  in  my  judgment.  In  the  first  place, 


patbffn&er  i3S 


you  have  experience,  and  as  all  girls  must  want  that,  no 
prudent  young  woman  would  overlook  such  a  qualification. 
Then  you  are  not  one  of  the  coxcombs  that  strut  about 
when  they  first  join  a  regiment,  but  a  man  who  has  seen 
service,  and  who  carries  the  marks  of  it  on  his  person  and 
countenance.  I  dare  say  you  have  been  under  fire  some 
thirty  or  forty  times,  counting  all  the  skirmishes  and  am- 
bushes that  you  've  seen." 

"  All  of  that,  sergeant,  all  of  that ;  but  what  will  it  avail 
in  gaining  the  good- will  of  a  tender-hearted  young  female  ? ' ' 

"  It  will  gain  the  day.  Experience  in  the  field  is  as  good 
in  love  as  in  war.  But  you  are  as  honest-hearted  and  as 
loyal  a  subject  as  the  king  can  boast  of — God  bless  him." 

"That  may  be  too — that  may  be  too;  but  I'm  afeard 
I  'm  too  rude,  and  too  old,  and  too  wild  like,  to  suit  the 
fancy  of  such  a  young  and  delicate  girl  as  Mabel,  who  has 
been  unused  to  our  wilderness  ways,  and  may  think  the 
settlements  better  suited  to  her  gifts  and  inclinations." 

"  These  are  new  misgivings  for  you,  my  friend,  and  I 
wonder  they  were  never  paraded  before. ' ' 

"  Because  I  never  knew  my  own  worthlessness,  perhaps, 
until  I  saw  Mabel.  I  have  travelled  with  some  as  fair,  and 
have  guided  them  through  the  forest,  and  seen  them  in  their 
perils  and  in  their  gladness  ;  but  they  were  always  too  much 
above  me  to  make  me  think  of  them  as  more  than  so  many 
feeble  ones  I  was  bound  to  protect  and  defend.  The  case  is 
now  different.  Mabel  and  I  are  so  nearly  alike,  that  I  feel 
weighed  down  with  a  load  that  is  hard  to  bear,  at  finding 
us  so  unlike.  I  do  wish,  sergeant,  that  I  was  ten  years 
youaiger,  more  comely  to  look  at,  and  better  suited  to  please 
a  handsome  young  woman's  fancy  !  " 

"Cheer  up,  my  brave  friend,  and  trust  to  a  father's 
knowledge  of  womankind.  Mabel  half  loves  you  already, 
and  a  fortnight's  intercourse  and  kindness,  down  among  the 
islands  yonder,  will  close  ranks  with  the  other  half.  The 
girl  as  much  as  told  me  this  herself,  last  night." 

"  Can  this  be  so,  sergeant  ?  "  said  the  guide,  whose  meek 
and  modest  nature  shrank  from  viewing  himself  in  colors 
so  favorable.  "Can  this  be  truly  so!  I  am  but  a  poor 


i36  ttbe  Ipatbfinber 


hunter,  and  Mabel,  I  see,  is  fit  to  be  an  officer's  lady.  Do 
you  think  the  gal  will  consent  to  quit  all  her  beloved  settle- 
ment usages,  and  her  visitin's,  and  her  church-goin's,  to 
dwell  with  a  plain  guide  and  hunter,  up  hereaway,  in  the 
woods  ?  Will  she  not,  in  the  end,  crave  her  old  ways,  and  a 
better  man  ?  ' ' 

"A  better  man,  Pathfinder,  would  be  hard  to  find,"  re- 
turned the  father.  "  As  for  town  usages,  they  are  soon  for- 
gotten in  the  freedom  of  the  forest,  and  Mabel  has  just  spirit 
enough  to  dwell  on  a  frontier.  I  've  not  planned  this  mar- 
riage, my  friend,  without  thinking  it  over,  as  a  general  does 
his  campaign.  At  first,  I  thought  of  bringing  you  into  the 
regiment,  that  you  might  succeed  me  when  I  retire,  which 
must  be  sooner  or  later  ;  but  on  reflection,  Pathfinder,  I  think 
you  are  scarcely  fitted  for  the  office.  Still,  if  not  a  soldier 
in  all  the  meanings  of  the  word,  you  are  a  soldier  in  its  best 
meaning,  and  I  know  that  you  have  the  good-will  of  every 
officer  in  the  corps.  As  long  as  I  live,  Mabel  can  dwell  with 
me,  and  you  will  always  have  a  home,  when  you  return  from 
your  scoutings  and  marches. ' ' 

"  This  is  very  pleasant  to  think  of,  sergeant,  if  the  girl  can 
only  come  into  our  wishes  with  good- will.  But,  ah  's  me  ! 
it  does  not  seem  that  one  like  myself  can  ever  be  agreeable 
in  her  handsome  eyes!  If  I  were  younger,  and  more  comely, 
now,  as  Jasper  Western  is,  for  instance,  there  might  be 
a  chance — yes,  then,  indeed,  there  might  be  some  chance. ' ' 

"  That,  for  Jasper  Eau-douce,  and  every  younker  of  them 
in  or  about  the  fort  ! "  returned  the  sergeant,  snapping  his 
fingers.  ' '  If  not  actually  a  younger,  you  are  a  younger 
looking,  ay,  and  a  better  looking  man  than  the  Scud's 
master — ' ' 

"Anan!"  said  Pathfinder,  looking  up  at  his  companion 
with  an  expression  of  doubt,  as  if  he  did  not  understand  his 
meaning. 

"I  say,  if  not  actually  younger  in  days  and  years,  you 
look  more  hardy  and  like  whip-cord,  than  Jasper,  or  any  of 
them  ;  and  there  will  be  more  of  you,  thirty  years  hence, 
than  of  all  of  them  put  together.  A  good  conscience  will 
keep  one  like  you  a  mere  boy  all  his  life." 


'37 


"Jasper  has  as  clear  a  conscience  as  any  youth  I  know, 
sergeant ! — and  is  as  likely  to  wear,  on  that  account,  as  any 
young  man  in  the  colony." 

"Then  you  are  my  friend,"  squeezing  the  other's  hand, 
"  my  tried,  sworn,  and  constant  friend." 

' '  Yes,  we  have  been  friends,  sergeant,  near  twenty  years, 
before  Mabel  was  born." 

"True  enough — before  Mabel  was  born  we  were  well- 
tried  friends,  and  the  hussy  would  never  dream  of  refusing 
to  marry  a  man  who  was  her  father's  friend  before  she  was 
born!" 

"  We  don't  know,  sergeant,  we  don't  know.  I4ke  loves 
like.  The  young  prefar  the  young  for  companions,  and  the 
old  the  old." 

' '  Not  for  wives,  Pathfinder  !  I  never  knew  an  old  man, 
now,  who  had  an  objection  to  a  young  wife.  Then  you  are 
respected  and  esteemed  by  every  ofiicer  in  the  fort,  as  I  have 
said  already,  and  it  will  please  her  fancy  to  like  a  man  that 
every  one  else  likes. ' ' 

"  I  hope  I  have  no  enemies  but  the  Mingos,"  returned  the 
guide,  stroking  down  his  hair  meekly,  and  speaking  thought- 
fully. "I  've  tried  to  do  right,  and  that  ought  to  make 
friends,  though  it  sometimes  fails." 

' '  And  you  may  be  said  to  keep  the  best  company,  for 
even  old  Duncan  of  I^undie  is  glad  to  see  you,  and  you  pass 
hours  in  his  society.  Of  all  the  guides,  he  confides  most  in 
you. ' ' 

' '  Ay,  even  greater  than  he  is  have  marched  by  my  side 
for  days,  and  have  conversed  with  me  as  if  I  were  their 
brother  ;  but,  sergeant,  I  have  never  been  puffed  up  by  their 
company,  for  I  know  that  the  woods  often  bring  men  to  a 
level,  who  would  not  be  so  in  the  settlements." 

"And  you  are  known  to  be  the  greatest  rifle-shot  that 
ever  pulled  a  trigger  in  all  this  region." 

"  If  Mabel  could  fancy  a  man  for  that,  I  might  have  no 
great  reason  to  despair  ;  and  yet,  sergeant,  I  sometimes  think 
that  it  is  all  as  much  owing  to  Killdeer  as  to  any  skill  of  my 
own.  It  is  sartainly  a  wonderful  piece,  and  might  do  as 
much  in  the  hands  of  another." 


i3s 


"That  is  your  own  humble  opinion  of  yourself,  Pathfinder  ; 
but  we  have  seen  too  many  fail  with  the  same  weapon,  and 
you  succeed  too  often  with  the  rifles  of  other  men,  to  allow 
me  to  agree  with  you.  We  will  get  up  a  shooting  match 
in  a  day  or  two,  when  you  can  show  your  skill,  and  then 
Mabel  will  form  some  judgment  concerning  your  true 
character." 

' '  Will  that  be  fair,  sergeant  ?  Everybody  knows  that  Kill- 
deer  seldom  misses,  and  ought  we  to  make  a  trial  of  this  sort, 
when  we  all  know  what  must  be  the  result  ?  ' ' 

"Tut,  tut,  man  !  I  foresee  I  must  do  half  this  courting 
for  you.  For  one  who  is  always  inside  of  the  smoke,  in  a 
skirmish,  you  are  the  faintest-hearted  suitor  I  ever  met  with. 
Remember,  Mabel  comes  of  a  bold  stock  ;  and  the  girl  will 
be  as  likely  to  admire  a  man  as  her  mother  was  before  her." 

Here  the  sergeant  arose,  and  proceeded  to  attend  to  his 
never-ceasing  duties,  without  apology  ;  the  terms  on  which 
the  guide  stood  with  all  in  the  garrison,  rendering  this  free- 
dom quite  a  matter  of  course. 

The  reader  will  have  gathered  from  the  conversation  just 
related,  one  of  the  plans  that  Sergeant  Dunham  had  in  view, 
in  causing  his  daughter  to  be  brought  to  the  frontier.  Al- 
though necessarily  much  weaned  from  the  caresses  and 
blandishments  that  had  rendered  his  child  so  dear  to  him, 
during  the  first  year  or  two  of  his  widowhood,  he  had  still  a 
strong,  but  somewhat  latent,  love  for  her.  Accustomed  to 
command  and  to  obey,  without  being  questioned  himself, 
questioning  others  concerning  the  reasonableness  of  the 
mandates,  he  was,  perhaps,  too  much  disposed  to  believe 
that  his  daughter  would  marry  the  man  he  might  select, 
while  he  was  far  from  being  disposed  to  do  violence  to  her 
wishes.  The  fact  was,  few  knew  the  Pathfinder  intimately, 
without  secretly  coming  to  believe  him  to  be  one  of  extraor- 
dinary qualities.  Ever  the  same,  simple-minded,  faithful, 
utterly  without  fear,  and  yet  prudent,  foremost  in  all  war- 
rantable enterprises,  or  what  the  opinion  of  the  day  consid- 
ered as  such,  and  never  engaged  in  anything  to  call  a  blush 
to  his  cheek,  or  censure  on  his  acts  ;  it  was  not  possible  to 
live  much  with  this  being,  who,  in  hjs  peculiar  way,  was  a 


TTbe  patbffn&er  i39 


sort  of  type  of  what  AdanTmight  have  been  supposed  to  be 
before  the  fall,  though  certainly  not  without  sin,  and  not  feel 
a  respect  and  admiration  for  him,  that  had  no  reference  to 
his  position  in  life.  jit  was  remarked  that  no  officer  passed 
him  without  saluting  him  as  if  he  had  been  his  equal ;  no 
common  man,  without  addressing  him  with  the  confidence 
and  freedom  of  a  comrade.  The  most  surprising  peculiarity 
about  the  man  himself,  was  the  entire  indifference  with 
which  he  regarded  all  distinctions  that  did  not  depend  on/ 
personal  merit.  He  was  respectful  to  his  superiors  from 
habit,  but  had  often  been  known  to  correct  their  mistakes 
and  to  reprove  their  vices,  with  a  fearlessness  that  proved 
how  essentially  he  regarded  the  more  material  points,  and 
with  a  natural  discrimination  that  appeared  to  set  education 
at  defiance.  In  short,  a  disbeliever  in  the  ability  of  man  to 
distinguish  between  good  and  evil  without  the  aid  of  in- 
struction, would  have  been  staggered  by  the  character  of 
this  extraordinary  inhabitant  of  the  frontier.  His  feelings 
appeared  to  possess  the  freshness  and  nature  of  the  forest  in 
which  he  passed  so  much  of  his  time,  and  no  casuist  could 
have  made  clearer  decisions  in  matters  relating  to  right  and 
wrong  ;  yet  he  was  not  without  his  prejudices,  which, 
though  few,  and  colored  by  the  character  and  usages  of  the 
individual,  were  deep-rooted,  and  had  almost  got  to  form  a 
part  of  his  nature.  But  the  most  striking  feature  about  the'" 
moral  organization  of  Pathfinder,  was  his  beautiful  and  un- 
erring sense  of  justice.  This  noble  trait  (and  without  it  no 
man  can  be  truly  great ;  with  it,  no  man  other  than  respect- 
able) probably  had  its  unseen  influence  on  all  who  associated 
with  him  ;  for  the  common  and  unprincipled  brawler  of 
the  camp  had  been  known  to  return  from  an  expedition 
made  in  his  company,  rebuked  by  his  sentiments,  softened 
by  his  language,  and  improved  by  his  example.  As  might 
have  been  expected,  with  so  elevated  a  quality,  his  fidelity 
was  like  the  immovable  rock.  Treachery  in  him  was  classed 
among  the  things  that  are  impossible,  and  as  he  seldom  re- 
tired before  his  enemies,  so  was  he  never  known,  under  any 
circumstances  that  admitted  of  an  alternative,  to  abandon  a 
friend.  The  affinities  of  such  a  character  were,  as  a  matter 


1 4o  Ube  patMnber 


of  course,  those  of  like  for  like.  His  associates  and  inti- 
mates, though  more  or  less  determined  by  chance,  were  gen- 
erally of  the  highest  order,  as  to  moral  propensities  ;  for  he 
appeared  to  possess  a  species  of  instinctive  discrimination 
that  led  him  insensibly  to  himself,  most  probably,  to  cling 
closest  to  those  whose  characters  would  best  reward  his 
friendship.  In  short,  it  was  said  of  the  Pathfinder,  by  one 
accustomed  to  study  his  fellows,  that  he  was  a  fair  example 
of  what  a  just-minded  and  pure  man  might  be,  while  un- 
tempted  by  unruly  or  ambitious  desires,  and  let  to  follow  the 
bias  of  his  feelings,  amid  the  solitary  grandeur  and  ennobling 
influences  of  a  sublime  nature  ;  neither  led  aside  by  the  in- 
ducements which  influence  all  to  do  evil  amid  the  incentives 
of  civilization,  nor  forgetful  of  the  Almighty  Being,  whose 
spirit  pervades  the  wilderness  as  well  as  the  towns. 

Such  was  the  man  whom  Sergeant  Dunham  had  selected 
as  the  husband  of  Mabel.  In  making  this  choice  he  had  not 
been  as  much  governed  by  a  clear  and  judicious  view  of  the 
merits  of  the  individual,  perhaps,  as  by  his  own  likings ; 
still,  no  one  knew  the  Pathfinder  as  intimately  as  himself, 
without  always  conceding  to  the  honest  guide  a  high  place 
in  his  esteem,  on  account  of  these  very  virtues.  That  his 
daughter  could  find  any  serious  objection  to  the  match,  the 
old  soldier  did  not  apprehend  ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  he 
saw  many  advantages  to  himself,  in  dim  perspective,  that 
were  connected  with  the  decline  of  his  days,  and  an  evening 
of  life  passing  among  descendants  who  were  equally  dear  to 
him  through  both  parents.  He  first  made  the  proposition  to 
his  friend,  who  had  listened  to  it  kindly,  but  who,  the  ser- 
geant was  now  pleased  to  find,  already  betrayed  a  willing- 
ness to  come  into  his  own  views,  that  was  proportioned  to 
the  doubts  and  misgivings  proceeding  from  his  humble  dis- 
trust of  himself. 


CHAPTER  X. 

"  Think  not  I  love  him,  though  I  ask  for  him  : 
'T  is  but  a  peevish  boy  :  yet  he  talks  well — 
But  what  care  I  for  words  ?  " 

As  You  Like  It. 

A  WEEK  passed  in  the  usual  routine  of  a  garrison. 
Mabel  was  becoming  used  to  a  situation  that,  at 
first,  she  found  not  only  novel,  but  a  little  irk- 
some ;  and  the  officers,  and  men,  in  their  turn, 
gradually   familiarized   to    the    presence   of   a  young   and 
blooming  girl,  whose  attire  and  carriage  had  that  air  of 
modest  gentility  about  them  which  she  had  obtained  in  the 
family  of  her  patroness,  annoyed  her  less  by  their  ill-con- 
cealed admiration,  while  they  gratified  her  by  the  respect 
which,  she  was  fain  to  think,  they  paid  her  on  account  of 
her  father ;  but  which,  in  truth,  was  more  to  be  attributed  to 
her    own    modest,  but  spirited   deportment,    than    to    any 
deference  for  the  worthy  sergeant. 

Acquaintances  made  in  the  forest,  or  in  any  circumstances 
of  unusual  excitement,  soon  attain  their  limits.  Mabel 
found  one  week's  residence  at  Oswego  sufficient  to  deter- 
mine her  as  to  those  with  whom  she  might  be  intimate,  and 
those  whom  she  ought  to  avoid.  The  sort  of  neutral  posi- 
tion occupied  by  her  father,  who  was  not  an  officer  while  he 
was  so  much  more  than  a  common  soldier,  by  keeping  her 
aloof  from  the  two  great  classes  of  military  life,  lessened 
the  number  of  those  whom  she  was  compelled  to  know,  and 
made  the  duty  of  decision  comparatively  easy.  Still,  she 
soon  discovered  that  there  were  a  few,  even  among  those 
that  could  aspire  to  a  seat  at  the  commandant's  table,  who 
were  disposed  to  overlook  the  halbert,  for  the  novelty  of  a 
well-turned  figure,  and  of  a  pretty,  winning  face ;  and  by 
141 


jpatbfinfcer 


the  end  of  the  first  two  or  three  days,  she  had  admirers  even 
among  the  gentlemen.  The  quartermaster,  in  particular, 
a  middle-aged  soldier,  who  had  more  than  once  tried  the 
blessings  of  matrimony,  but  was  now  a  widower,  was 
evidently  disposed  to  increase  his  intimacy  with  the  ser- 
geant, though  their  duties  often  brought  them  together ;  and 
the  youngsters  among  his  messmates  did  not  fail  to  note 
that  this  man  of  method,  who  was  a  Scotsman  of  the  name 
of  Muir,  was  much  more  frequent  in  his  visits  to  the  quar- 
ters of  his  subordinate  than  had  formerly  been  his  wont. 
A  laugh,  or  a  joke,  in  honor  of  the  "  sergeant's  daughter," 
however,  limited  their  strictures  ;  though  ' '  Mabel  Dunham' ' 
was  soon  a  toast  that  even  the  ensign  or  the  lieutenant  did 
not  disdain  to  give. 

At  the  end  of  the  week,  Duncan  of  L,undie  sent  for  Ser- 
geant Dunham  after  evening  roll-call,  on  business  of  a  nature 
that,  it  was  understood,  required  a  personal  conference. 
The  old  veteran  dwelt  in  a  movable  hut,  which,  being  placed 
on  trucks,  he  could  order  to  be  wheeled  about  at  pleasure, 
sometimes  living  in  one  part  of  the  area  within  the  fort,  and 
sometimes  in  another.  On  the  present  occasion,  he  had 
made  a  halt  near  the  centre,  and  there  he  was  found  by  his 
subordinate,  who  was  admitted  to  his  presence  without  any 
delay,  or  dancing  attendance  in  an  antechamber.  In  point 
of  fact,  there  was  very  little  difference  in  the  quality  of  the 
accommodations  given  to  the  officers  and  those  allowed  to 
the  men,  the  former  being  merely  granted  the  most  room, 
and  Mabel  and  her  father  were  lodged  nearly,  if  not  quite, 
as  well  as  the  commandant  of  the  place  himself. 

"Walk  in,  sergeant,  walk  in,  my  good  friend,"  said  old 
Lundie,  heartily,  as  his  inferior  stood  in  a  respectful  attitude 
at  the  door  of  a  sort  of  library  and  bedroom  into  which  he 
had  been  ushered  ;  "  walk  in,  and  take  a  seat  on  that  stool. 
I  have  sent  for  you,  man,  to  discuss  anything  but  rosters 
and  pay-rolls  this  evening.  It  is  now  many  years  since  we 
have  been  comrades,  and  '  auld  lang  syne '  should  count  for 
something  even  between  a  major  and  his  orderly,  a  Scot  and 
a  Yankee.  Sit  ye  down,  man,  and  just  put  yourself  at  your 
ease.  It  has  been  a  fine  day,  sergeant  ?  ' ' 


Ube  patbffn&er  143 


"  It  has  indeed,  Major  Duncan,"  returned  the  other,  who, 
though  he  complied  so  far  as  to  take  the  seat,  was  much  too 
practised  not  to  understand  the  degree  of  respect  it  was 
necessary  to  maintain  in  his  manner  ;  "a  very  fine  day,  sir, 
it  has  been,  and  we  may  look  for  more  of  them,  at  this 
season. ' ' 

"  I  hope  so,  with  all  my  heart.  The  crops  look  well,  as 
it  is,  man,  and  you  '11  be  finding  that  the  55th  make  almost 
as  good  farmers  as  soldiers.  I  never  saw  better  potatoes  in 
Scotland,  than  we  are  likely  to  have  in  that  new  patch  of 
ours." 

"They  promise  a  good  yield,  Major  Duncan,  and  in  that 
light  a  more  comfortable  winter  than  the  last." 

' '  Life  is  progressive,  sergeant,  in  its  comforts,  as  well  as 
in  its  need  of  them.  We  grow  old,  and  I  begin  to  think  it 
time  to  retire  and  settle  in  life.  I  feel  that  my  working  days 
are  nearly  over. ' ' 

' '  The  king,  God  bless  him,  sir,  has  much  good  service  in 
your  honor,  yet." 

"  It  may  be  so,  Sergeant  Dunham,  especially  if  he  should 
happen  to  have  a  spare  lieutenant-colonelcy  left." 

' '  The  55th  will  be  honored  the  day  that  commission  is 
given  to  Duncan  of  I/undie,  sir. ' ' 

"And  Duncan  of  Lundie  will  be  honored  the  day  he 
receives  it.  But,  sergeant,  if  you  have  never  had  a  lieuten- 
ant-colonelcy, you  have  had  a  good  wife,  and  that  is  the 
next  thing  to  rank,  in  making  a  man  happy." 

"I  have  been  married,  Major  Duncan;  but  it  is  now  a 
long  time  since  I  have  had  no  drawback  on  the  love  I  bear 
his  majesty  and  my  duty." 

"What,  man,  not  even  the  love  you  bear  that  active, 
little,  round-limbed,  rosy-cheeked  daughter,  that  I  have  seen 
in  the  fort,  these  last  few  days  !  Out  upon  you,  sergeant ! 
old  fellow  as  I  am,  I  could  almost  love  that  little  lassie 
myself,  and  send  the  lieutenant-colonelcy  to  the  devil." 

"We  all  know  where  Major  Duncan's  heart  is,  and  that 
is  in  Scotland,  where  a  beautiful  lady  is  ready  and  willing 
to  make  him  happy  as  soon  as  his  own  sense  of  duty  shall 
permit." 


144  ^be  patbfinbet 


"Ay,  hope  is  ever  a  far-off  thing,  sergeant,"  returned  the 
superior,  a  shade  of  melancholy  passing  over  his  hard 
Scottish  features  as  he  spoke ;  ' '  and  bonny  Scotland  is  a 
far-off  country.  Well,  if  we  have  no  heather  and  oatmeal  in 
this  region,  we  have  venison  for  the  killing  it ;  and  salmon 
as  plenty  as  at  Berwick-upon-Tweed.  Is  it  true,  sergeant, 
that  the  men  complain  of  having  been  over-venisoned  and 
over-pigeoned  of  late  ? ' ' 

"Not  for  some  weeks,  Major  Duncan,  for  neither  deer 
nor  birds  are  so  plenty  at  this  season  as  they  have  been. 
They  begin  to  throw  their  remarks  about  concerning  the 
salmon,  but  I  trust  we  shall  get  through  the  summer  with- 
out any  serious  disturbance  on  the  score  of  food.  The 
Scotch  in  the  battalion  do,  indeed,  talk  more  than  is  prudent 
of  their  want  of  oatmeal,  grumbling  occasionally  of  our 
wheaten  bread." 

' '  Ah  !  that  is  human  nature,  sergeant ;  pure  unadulter- 
ated Scottish  human  nature.  A  cake,  man,  to  say  the 
truth,  is  an  agreeable  morsel,  and  I  often  see  the  time  when 
I  pine  for  a  bite  myself." 

"If  the  feeling  gets  to  be  troublesome,  Major  Duncan, — 
in  the  men  I  mean,  sir,  for  I  would  not  think  of  saying  so 
disrespectful  a  thing  to  your  honor, — but  if  the  men  ever 
pine  seriously  for  their  natural  food,  I  would  humbly  recom- 
mend that  some  oatmeal  be  imported,  or  prepared  in  this 
country  for  them,  and  I  think  we  shall  hear  no  more  of  it. 
A  very  little  would  answer  for  a  cure,  sir." 

' '  You  are  a  wag,  sergeant ;  but  hang  me  if  I  am  sure 
you  are  not  right.  There  may  be  sweeter  things  in  this 
world,  after  all,  than  oatmeal.  You  have  a  sweet  daughter, 
Dunham,  for  one." 

"The  girl  is  like  her  mother,  Major  Duncan,  and  will 
pass  inspection,"  said  the  sergeant,  proudly.  "  Neither  was 
brought  up  on  anything  better  than  good  American  flour. 
The  girl  will  pass  inspection,  sir." 

"That  would  she,  I  '11  answer  for  it.  Well,  I  may  as  well 
come  to  the  point  at  once,  man,  and  bring  up  my  reserve 
into  the  front  of  the  battle.  Here  is  Davy  Muir,  the  quarter- 
master, is  disposed  to  make  your  daughter  his  wife,  and  he 


TTbe  patbfinfcer  145 


has  just  got  me  to  open  the  matter  to  you,  being  fearful  of 
compromising  his  own  dignity  ;  and  I  may  as  well  add,  that 
half  the  youngsters  in  the  fort  toast  her,  and  talk  of  her 
from  morning  till  night. ' ' 

' '  She  is  much  honored,  sir, ' '  returned  the  father,  stiffly, 
' '  but  I  trust  the  gentlemen  will  find  something  more  worthy 
of  them  to  talk  about,  ere  long.  I  hope  to  see  her  the  wife 
of  an  honest  man,  before  many  weeks,  sir." 

"Yes,  Davy  is  an  honest  man,  and  that  is  more  than  can 
be  said  of  all  in  the  quartermaster's  department,  I  'm  think- 
ing, sergeant, ' '  returned  Lundie,  with  a  slight  smile.  ' '  Well, 
then,  may  I  tell  the  Cupid- stricken  youth  that  the  matter  is 
as  good  as  settled  ? ' ' 

"  I  thank  your  honor,  but  Mabel  is  betrothed  to  another." 

' '  The  devil  she  is  !  That  will  produce  a  stir  in  the  fort ; 
though  I  'm  not  sorry  to  hear  it,  either,  for,  to  be  frank  with 
you,  sergeant,  I  'm  no  great  admirer  of  unequal  matches." 

' '  I  think  with  your  honor,  and  have  no  desire  to  see  my 
daughter  an  officer's  lady.  If  she  can  get  as  high  as  her 
mother  was  before  her,  it  ought  to  satisfy  any  reasonable 
woman." 

' '  And  may  I  ask,  sergeant,  who  is  the  lucky  man  that 
you  intend  to  call  son-in-law  ? ' ' 

' '  The  Pathfinder,  your  honor. ' ' 

"Pathfinder!  " 

"  The  same,  Major  Duncan  ;  and  in  naming  him  to  you, 
I  give  you  his  whole  history.  No  one  is  better  known  on 
this  frontier,  than  my  honest,  brave,  true-hearted  friend." 

"All  that  is  true  enough  ;  but  is  he,  after  all,  the  sort  of 
person  to  make  a  girl  of  twenty  happy  ?  " 

"Why  not,  your  honor?  the  man  is  at  the  head  of  his 
calling.  There  is  no  other  guide,  or  scout,  connected  with 
the  army,  that  has  half  the  reputation  of  Pathfinder,  or  who 
deserves  to  have  it  half  as  well." 

"Very  true,  sergeant;  but  is  the  reputation  of  a  scout 
exactly  the  sort  of  renown  to  captivate  a  girl's  fancy? " 

"Talking  of  a  girl's  fancies,  sir,  is,  in  my  humble  opinion, 
much  like  talking  of  a  recruit's  judgment.  If  we  were  to 
take  the  movements  of  the  awkward  squad,  sir,  as  a  guide, 


r46  Ube  fitatfofinber 


we  should  never  form  a  decent  line  in  battalion,  Major 
Duncan." 

"But  your  daughter  has  nothing  awkward  about  her  ;  for 
a  genteeler  girl,  of  her  class,  could  not  be  found  in  old  Albin 
itself.  Is  she  of  your  way  of  thinking  in  this  matter? — 
though  I  suppose  she  must  be,  as  you  say  she  is  betrothed. ' ' 

"We  have  not  yet  conversed  on  the  subject,  your  honor, 
but  I  consider  her  mind  as  good  as  made  up,  from  several 
little  circumstances  that  might  be  named. ' ' 

' '  And  what  are  these  circumstances,  sergeant  ? ' '  asked 
the  major,  who  began  to  take  more  interest  than  he  had  at 
first  felt  in  the  subject.  "I  confess  a  little  curiosity  to  learn 
something  about  a  woman's  mind,  being,  as  you  know,  a 
bachelor  myself. ' ' 

' '  Why,  your  honor,  when  I  speak  of  the  Pathfinder  to 
the  girl,  she  always  looks  me  full  in  the  face ;  chimes  in 
with  everything  I  say  in  his  favor,  and  has  a  frank,  open 
way  with  her,  which  says  as  much  as  if  she  half  considered 
him,  already,  as  a  husband." 

"  Hum  !  and  these  signs  you  think,  Dunham,  are  faithful 
tokens  of  your  daughter's  feelings  ?  " 

' '  I  do,  your  honor,  for  they  strike  me  as  natural.  When 
I  find  a  man,  sir,  who  looks  me  full  in  the  face,  while  he 
praises  an  officer — for,  begging  your  honor's  pardon,  the 
men  will  sometimes  pass  their  strictures  on  their  betters — 
and  when  I  find  a  man  looking  me  in  the  eyes  as  he  praises 
his  captain,  I  always  set  it  down  that  the  fellow  is  honest, 
and  means  what  he  says. ' ' 

"Is  there  not  some  material  difference  in  the  age  of  the 
intended  bridegroom  and  that  of  his  pretty  bride,  ser- 
geant?" 

"You  are  quite  right,  sir;  Pathfinder  is  well  advanced 
towards  forty,  and  Mabel  has  every  prospect  of  happiness 
that  a  young  woman  can  derive  from  the  certainty  of  pos- 
sessing an  experienced  husband.  I  was  quite  forty  myself, 
your  honor,  when  I  married  her  mother." 

"  But  will  your  daughter  be  as  likely  to  admire  a  green 
hunting-shirt,  such  as  that  our  worthy  guide  wears,  with  a 
fox-skin  cap,  as  the  smart  uniform 'of  the  55th?  " 


Ube  jpatbffnfcer  147 


' '  Perhaps  not,  sir  ;  and  therefore  she  will  have  the  merit 
of  self-denial,  which  always  makes  a  young  woman  wiser  and 
better." 

"And  are  you  not  afraid  that  she  maybe  left  a  widow 
while  still  a  young  woman  ?  What  between  wild  beasts  and 
wilder  savages,  Pathfinder  may  be  said  to  carry  his  life  in 
his  hand." 

"  '  Every  bullet  has  its  billet,'  Lundie,"  for  so  the  major 
was  fond  of  being  called,  in  his  moments  of  condescension, 
and  when  not  engaged  in  military  affairs,  ' '  and  no  man  in 
the  55th  can  call  himself  beyond,  or  above,  the  chances  of 
sudden  death.  In  that  particular,  Mabel  would  gain  nothing 
by  a  change.  Besides,  sir,  if  I  may  speak  freely  on  such  a 
subject,  I  much  doubt  if  ever  Pathfinder  dies  in  battle,  or  by 
any  of  the  sudden  chances  of  the  wilderness. ' ' 

"And  why  so,  sergeant?"  asked  the  major,  looking  at 
his  infeiior  with  the  sort  of  reverence  which  a  Scot  of  his 
day  was  more  apt  than  at  present  to  entertain  for  mysterious 
agencies.  "He  is  a  soldier,  so  far  as  danger  is  concerned, 
and  one  that  is  much  more  than  usually  exposed  ;  and,  be- 
ing free  of  his  person,  why  should  he  expect  to  escape,  when 
others  do  not  ?  ' ' 

"  I  do  not  believe,  your  honor,  that  Pathfinder  considers 
his  own  chances  better  than  any  one's  else,  but  the  man  will 
never  die  by  a  bullet.  I  have  seen  him  so  often,  handling 
his  rifle  with  as  much  composure  as  if  it  were  a  shepherd's 
crook,  in  the  midst  of  the  heaviest  showers  of  bullets,  and 
under  so  many  extraordinary  circumstances,  that  I  do  not 
think  Providence  means  he  should  ever  fall  in  that  manner. 
And  yet,  if  there  be  a  man  in  his  majesty's  dominions  who 
really  deserves  such  a  death,  it  is  Pathfinder  !  ' ' 

"We  never  know,  sergeant,"  returned  Lundie,  with  a 
countenance  that  was  grave  with  thought,  "  and  the  less  we 
say  about  it,  perhaps,  the  better.  But  will  your  daughter- 
Mabel,  I  think  you  call  her — will  Mabel  be  as  willing  to  ac- 
cept one,  who,  after  all  is  a  mere  hanger-on  of  the  army,  as 
to  take  one  from  the  service  itself?  There  is  no  hope  of 
promotion  for  the  guide,  sergeant  !  " 

"  He  is  at  the  head  of  his  corps  already,  your  honor.     In 


i4s  ZTbe  patbfinfcer 


short,  Mabel  has  made  up  her  mind  on  this  subject,  and,  as 
your  honor  has  had  the  condescension  to  speak  to  me  about 
Mr.  Muir,  I  trust  you  will  be  kind  enough  to  say  that  the 
girl  is  as  good  as  billeted  for  life." 

"Well,  well,  this  is  your  own  matter,  and  now — Sergeant 
Dunham !  " 

"  Your  honor,"  said  the  other,  rising,  and  giving  the  cus- 
tomary salute. 

' '  You  have  been  told  it  is  my  intention  to  send  you  down 
among  the  Thousand  Islands,  for  the  next  month.  All  the 
old  subalterns  have  had  their  tours  of  duty  in  that  quarter — 
all  that  I  like  to  trust,  at  least — and  it  has,  at  length,  come 
to  your  turn.  lieutenant  Muir,  it  is  true,  claims  his  right, 
but,  being  quartermaster,  I  do  not  like  to  break  up  well- 
established  arrangements.  Are  the  men  drafted  ? ' ' 

"Everything  is  ready,  your  honor.  The  draft  is  made, 
and  I  understood  that  the  canoe  which  got  in  last  night, 
brought  a  message,  to  say  that  the  party  already  below  is 
looking  out  for  the  relief." 

"  It  did,  and  you  must  sail  the  day  after  to-morrow,  if  not 
to-morrow  night.  It  will  be  wise,  perhaps,  to  sail  in  the 
dark." 

"So  Jasper  thinks,  Major  Duncan,  and  I  know  no  one 
more  to  be  depended  on,  in  such  an  affair,  than  young  Jasper 
Western." 

"  Young  Jasper  Eau-douce  !  "  said  I^undie,  a  slight  smile 
gathering  around  his  usually  stern  mouth.  "  Will  that  lad 
be  of  your  party,  sergeant  ? ' ' 

"Your  honor  will  remember  that  the  Scud  never  quits 
port  without  him." 

"True,  but  all  general  rules  have  their  exceptions.  Have 
I  not  seen  a  seafaring  person  about  the  fort  within  the  last 
few  days  ? ' ' 

"No  doubt,  your  honor;  it  is  Master  Cap,  a  brother-in- 
law  of  mine,  who  brought  my  daughter  from  below." 

"  Why  not  put  him  in  the  Scud  for  this  cruise,  sergeant, 
and  leave  Jasper  behind  ?  Your  brother-in-law  would  like 
the  variety  of  a  fresh- water  cruise,  and  you  would  enjoy 
more  of  his  company." 


TTbe 


i49 


'  I  intended  to  ask  your  honor's  permission  to  take  him 
along,  but  he  must  go  as  a  volunteer.  Jasper  is  too  brave  a 
lad  to  be  turned  out  of  his  command  without  a  reason,  Major 
Duncan ;  and  I  'm  afraid  brother  Cap  despises  fresh  water 
too  much  to  do  duty  on  it." 

' '  Quite  right,  sergeant,  and  I  leave  all  this  to  your  own 
discretion.  Eau-douce  must  retain  his  command,  on  second 
thoughts.  You  intend  that  Pathfinder  shall  also  be  of  the 
party?" 

"If  your  honor  approves  of  it.  There  will  be  service  for 
both  the  guides,  the  Indian  as  well  as  the  white  man." 

' '  I  think  you  are  right.  Well,  sergeant,  I  wish  you  good 
luck  in  the  enterprise  ;  and  remember,  the  post  is  to  be  de- 
stroyed and  abandoned  when  your  command  is  withdrawn. 
It  will  have  done  its  work  by  that  time,  or  we  shall  have 
failed  entirely,  and  it  is  too  ticklish  a  position  to  be  main- 
tained unnecessarily.  You  can  retire." 

Sergeant  Dunham  gave  the  customary  salute,  turned  on 
his  heels  as  if  they  had  been  pivots,  and  had  got  the  door 
nearly  drawn-to  after  him,  when  he  was  suddenly  recalled. 

"I  had  forgotten,  sergeant,  the  younger  officers  have 
begged  for  a  shooting  match,  and  to-morrow  has  been  named 
for  the  day.  All  competitors  will  be  admitted,  and  the 
prizes  will  be  a  silver-mounted  powder-horn,  a  leathern  flask 
ditto,"  reading  from  a  piece  of  paper,  "  as  I  see  by  the  pro- 
fessional jargon  of  this  bill,  and  a  silk  calash  for  a  lady.  The 
latter  is  to  enable  the  victor  to  show  his  gallantry,  by  making 
an  offering  of  it  to  her  he  best  loves." 

"  All  very  agreeable,  your  honor,  at  least  to  him  that  suc- 
ceeds. Is  the  Pathfinder  to  be  permitted  to  enter  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  well  see  how  he  can  be  excluded,  if  he  choose 
to  come  forward.  Latterly,  I  have  observed  that  he  takes  no 
share  in  these  sports,  probably  from  a  conviction  of  his  own 
unequalled  skill." 

"That 's  it,  Major  Duncan  ;  the  honest  fellow  knows  there 
is  not  a  man  on  the  frontier  who  can  equal  him,  and  he  does 
not  wish  to  spoil  the  pleasure  of  others.  I  think  we  may 
trust  to  his  delicacy  in  anything,  sir.  Perhaps  it  may  be  as 
well  to  let  him  have  his  own  way." 


1 5o  ftbe  patbfinfcer 


"In  this  instance  we  must,  sergeant.  Whether  he  will 
be  as  successful  in  all  others,  remains  to  be  seen.  I  wish 
you  good  evening,  Dunham." 

The  sergeant  now  withdrew,  leaving  Duncan  of  I/undie 
to  his  own  thoughts.  That  they  were  not  altogether  dis- 
agreeable, was  to  be  inferred  from  the  smiles  which  occa- 
sionally covered  a  countenance  that  was  hard  and  martial  in 
its  usual  expression,  though  there  were  moments  in  which 
all  its  severe  sobriety  prevailed.  Half  an  hour  might  have 
passed,  when  a  tap  at  the  door  was  answered  by  a  direction 
to  enter.  A  middle-aged  man,  in  the  dress  of  an  officer, 
but  whose  uniform  wanted  the  usual  smartness  of  the  profes- 
sion, made  his  appearance,  and  was  saluted  as  ' '  Mr.  Muir. ' ' 

"  I  have  come,  sir,  at  your  bidding,  to  know  my  fortune," 
said  the  quartermaster,  in  a  strong  Scotch  accent,  as  soon 
as  he  had  taken  the  seat  which  was  proffered  to  him.  "  To 
say  the  truth  to  you,  Major  Duncan,  this  girl  is  making  as 
much  havoc  in  the  garrison  as  the  French  did  before  Ty  ;  I 
never  witnessed  so  general  a  rout,  in  so  short  a  time  ! ' ' 

"Surely,  Davy,  you  don't  mean  to  persuade  me  that  youi 
young  and  unsophisticated  heart  is  in  such  a  flame,  after 
one  week's  ignition  !  Why,  man,  this  is  worse  than  the 
affair  in  Scotland,  where  it  was  said  the  heat  within  was  so 
intense  that  it  just  burnt  a  hole  through  your  own  precious 
body,  and  left  a  place  for  all  the  lassies  to  peer  in  at,  to  see 
what  the  combustible  material  was  worth." 

"Ye '11  have  your  own  way,  Major  Duncan,  and  your 
father  and  mother  would  have  theirs  before  ye,  even  if  the 
enemy  were  in  the  camp.  I  see  nothing  so  extraordinar' 
in  young  people's  following  the  bent  of  their  inclinations 
and  wishes." 

"  But  you  've  followed  yours  so  often,  Davy,  that  I  should 
think,  by  this  time,  it  had  lost  the  edge  of  novelty.  Includ- 
ing that  informal  affair  in  Scotland,  when  you  were  a  lad, 
you  've  been  married  four  times  already." 

"  Only  three,  major,  as  I  hope  to  get  another  wife  !  I  've 
not  yet  had  my  number  ;  no,  no — only  three. ' ' 

"  I  'm  thinking,  Davy,  you  don't  include  the  first  affair  I 
mentioned  ;  that  in  which  there  was  no  parson." 


Ube  jpatfofinfcer  151 


"  And  why  should  I,  major?  The  courts  decided  that  it 
was  no  marriage,  and  what  more  could  a  man  want !  The 
woman  took  advantage  of  a  slight  amorous  propensity,  that 
may  be  a  weakness  in  my  disposition,  perhaps,  and  inveigled 
me  into  a  contract  that  was  found  to  be  illegal. ' ' 

"  If  I  remember  right,  Muir,  there  were  thought  to  be 
two  sides  to  that  question,  in  the  time  of  it  !  " 

"  It  would  be  an  indifferent  question,  my  dear  major, 
that  hadn't  two  sides  to  it ;  and  I  've  known  many  that  had 
three.  But  the  poor  woman  's  dead,  and  there  was  no  issue, 
so  nothing  came  of  it,  after  all.  Then  I  was  particularly 
unfortunate  with  my  second  wife — I  say  second,  major,  out 
of  deference  to  you,  and  on  the  mere  supposition  that  the 
first  was  a  marriage  at  all — but  first  or  second,  I  was  par- 
ticularly unfortunate  with  Jeannie  Graham,  who  died  in  the 
first  lustrum,  leaving  neither  chick  nor  chiel  behind  her.  I 
do  think  if  Jeannie  had  survived  I  never  should  have  turned 
my  thoughts  towards  another  wife." 

"  But  as  she  did  not,  you  married  twice  after  her  death, 
and  are  desirous  of  doing  so  a  third  time. ' ' 

"  The  truth  can  never  justly  be  gainsaid,  Major  Duncan, 
and  I  am  always  ready  to  avow  it.  I  'm  thinking,  I^undie, 
you  are  melancholar' ,  this  fine  evening  ?  ' ' 

"No,  Muir,  not  melancholy  absolutely,  but  a  little 
thoughtful,  I  confess.  I  was  looking  back  to  my  boyish 
days,  when  I,  the  laird's  son,  and  you  the  parson's,  roamed 
about  our  native  hills,  happy  and  careless  boys,  taking  little 
heed  to  the  future  ;  and  then  have  followed  some  thoughts, 
that  may  be  a  little  painful,  concerning  that  future,  as  it  has 
turned  out  to  be." 

"  Surely,  Lundie,  ye  do  not  complain  of  your  portion  of 
it  ?  You  've  risen  to  be  a  major,  and  will  soon  be  a  lieu- 
tenant-colonel, if  letters  tell  the  truth  ;  while  I  am  just  one 
step  higher  than  when  your  honored  father  gave  me  my 
first  commission,  and  a  poor  deevil  of  a  quartermaster." 

"  And  the  four  wives  ?  " 

"Three,  Lundie;  three  only  that  were  legal,  even  under 
our  own  liberal  and  sanctified  laws. ' ' 

"Well,  then,  let  it  be  three.      Ye  know,  Davy,"  said 


patbfinfcer 


Major  Duncan,  insensibly  dropping  into  the  pronunciation 
and  dialect  of  his  youth,  as  is  much  the  practice  with 
educated  Scotchmen,  as  they  warm  with  a  subject  that  comes 
near  the  heart,  "ye  know,  Davy,  that  my  own  choice  has 
long  been  made,  and  in  how  anxious  and  hope-wearied  a 
manner  I  've  waited  for  that  happy  hour  when  I  can  call 
the  woman  I  've  so  loved  a  wife ;  and  here  have  you  with- 
out fortune,  name,  birth,  or  merit — I  mean  particular 
merit — " 

"  Na,  na ;  dinna  say  that,  I^undie — the  Muirs  are  of 
gude  bluid." 

"Well,  then,  without  aught  but  bluid  ye've  wived  four 
times — ' ' 

"  I  tall  ye  but  thrice,  Lundie.  Ye  '11  weaken  auld  friend- 
ship if  ye  call  it  four. ' ' 

"Put  it  at  ye'r  own  number,  Davy,  and  it's  far  more 
than  ye'r  share.  Our  lives  have  been  very  different  on  the 
score  of  matrimony,  at  least ;  you  must  allow  that,  my  old 
friend. ' ' 

"And  which  do  you  think  has  been  the  gainer,  major, 
speaking  as  frankly  the  'gither  as  we  did  when  lads." 

"Nay,  I  've  nothing  to  conceal.  My  days  have  passed  in 
hope  deferred,  while  yours  have  passed  in — ' ' 

"  Not  in  hope  realized,  I  give  you  mine  honor,  Major 
Duncan,"  interrupted  the  quartermaster.  "Each  new 
experiment  I  have  thought  might  prove  an  advantage,  but 
disappointment  seems  the  lot  of  man  !  Ah  !  this  is  a  vain 
world  of  ours,  L,undie,  it  must  be  owned ;  and  in  nothing 
vainer  than  in  matrimony. ' ' 

' '  And  yet  you  are  ready  to  put  your  neck  into  the  noose 
for  the  fifth  time?  " 

"I  desire  to  say  it  will  be  but  the  fourth,  Major  Duncan," 
said  the  quartermaster,  positively  ;  then  instantly  changing 
the  expression  of  his  face  to  one  of  boyish  rapture,  he 
added, — "But  this  Mabel  Dunham  is  a  rara  avis!  Our 
Scotch  lassies  are  fair  and  pleasant,  but  it  must  be  owned 
these  colonials  are  of  surpassing  comeliness." 

' '  You  will  do  well  to  recollect  your  commission  and 
blood,  Davy  ;  I  believe  all  four  of  your  wives — " 


ttbe  ipatbttnfcer  153 


"  I  wish,  my  dear  L,undie,  ye  'd  be  more  accurate  in  your 
arithmetic  ;  three  times  one  make  three. ' ' 

' '  All  three,  then — were  what  might  be  termed  gentle- 
women. " 

' '  That 's  just  it,  major.  Three  were  gentlewomen,  as  you 
say,  and  the  connections  were  suitable.  " 

"And  the  fourth,  being  the  daughter  of  my  father's 
gardener,  the  connection  was  unsuitable.  But  have  you  no 
fear  that  marrying  the  child  of  a  non-commissioned  officer 
who  is  in  the  same  corps  with  yourself,  will  have  the  effect 
to  lessen  your  consequence  in  the  regiment  ? ' ' 

"That's  just  been  my  weakness  through  life,  Major 
Duncan  ;  for  I  've  always  married  without  regard  to  conse- 
quences. Every  man  has  his  besetting  sin,  and  matrimony, 
I  fear,  is  mine.  And  now  that  we  have  discussed  what  may 
be  called  the  principles  of  the  connection,  I  will  just  ask  if 
you  did  me  the  favor  to  speak  to  the  sergeant  on  the  trifling 
affair  ?  ' ' 

' '  I  did,  David,  and  am  sorry  to  say  for  your  hopes  that  I 
see  no  great  chance  of  your  succeeding. ' ' 

"Not  succeeding!  An  officer,  and  a  quartermaster  into 
the  bargain,  and  not  succeed  with  a  sergeant's  daughter  !  " 

"  It 's  just  that,  Davy.  " 

"And  why  not,  Lundie? — will  you  have  the  goodness  to 
answer  just  that?" 

"The  girl  is  betrothed.  Hand  plighted,  word  passed, 
love  pledged — no,  hang  me  if  I  believe  that  either ;  but  she 
is  betrothed." 

"Well,  that's  an  obstacle,  it  must  be  avowed,  major; 
though  it  counts  for  little  if  the  heart  is  free.  " 

"  Quite  true  ;  and  I  think  it  probable  the  heart  is  free  in 
this  case,  for  the  intended  husband  appears  to  be  the  choice 
of  the  father  rather  than  of  the  daughter." 

"And  who  may  it  be,  major?"  asked  the  quartermaster, 
who  viewed  the  whole  matter  with  the  philosophy  and  cool- 
ness that  are  acquired  by  use.  "  I  do  not  recollect  any 
plausible  suitor  that  is  likely  to  stand  in  my  way.  " 

"No, you  are  the  only  plausible  suitor  on  the  frontier, 
Davy.  The  happy  man  is  Pathfinder.  " 


i54  ^be  fcatbfin&er 


"  Pathfinder,  Major  Duncan  ?  ' ' 

"  No  more,  nor  any  less,  David  Muir.  Pathfinder  is  the 
man  ;  but  it  may  relieve  your  jealousy  a  little  to  know  that, 
in  my  judgment  at  least,  it  is  a  match  of  the  father's,  rather 
than  of  the  daughter's  seeking.  " 

"I  thought  as  much!"  exclaimed  the  quartermaster, 
drawing  a  long  breath,  like  one  who  felt  relieved;  "it's 
quite  impossible,  that  with  my  experience  in  human  na- 
ture— " 

"Particularly  hu- woman's  nature,  David  !  " 

"  Ye  will  have  ye' r  joke,  Lundie,  let  who  will  suffer  !  But 
I  did  not  think  it  possible  I  could  be  deceived  as  to  the 
young  woman's  inclinations,  which  I  think  I  may  boldly 
pronounce  to  be  altogether  above  the  condition  of  Path- 
finder. As  for  the  individual  himself — why,  time  will 
show." 

"Now,  tell  me  frankly,  Davy  Muir,  "  said  L,undie,  stop- 
ping short  in  his  walk,  and  looking  the  other  earnestly  in 
the  face,  with  a  comical  expression  of  surprise,  that  ren- 
dered the  veteran's  countenance  ridiculously  earnest,  "do 
you  really  suppose  a  girl  like  the  daughter  of  Sergeant 
Dunham  can  take  a  serious  fancy  to  a  man  of  your  years, 
and  appearance,  and  experience,  I  might  add?  " 

"  Hout,  awa',  I^undie,  ye  dinna  know  the  sax,  and  that 's 
the  reason  ye  'r  unmarried  in  ye'r  forty-fifth  year.  It  's 
a  fearfu'  time  ye  've  been  a  bachelor,  major  !  " 

"And  what  may  be  your  age,  Lieutenant  Muir,  if  I  may 
presume  to  ask  so  delicate  a  question  ?  ' ' 

"Forty-seven  ;  I  '11  no'  deny  it,  Lundie  ;  and  if  I  get  Mabel, 
there  '11  be  just  a  wife  for  every  twa  lustrums  !  But  I  did  na 
think  Sergeant  Dunham  would  be  so  humble-minded,  as  to 
dream  of  giving  that  sweet  lass  of  his  to  one  like  the  Path- 
finder !  " 

"There 's  no  dream  about  it,  Davy  ;  the  man  is  as  serious 
as  a  soldier  about  to  be  flogged.  " 

"Well,  well,  major,  we  are  auld  friends," — both  ran  into 
the  Scotch,  or  avoided  it,  as  they  approached  or  drew  away 
from  their  younger  days,  in  the  dialogue, — "and  ought  to 
know  how  to  take  and  give  a  joke,  off  duty.  It  is  possible 


Ube  fcatbfinfcer  i5S 


the  worthy  man  has  not  understood  my  hints,  or  he  never 
would  have  thought  of  such  a  thing.  The  difference  be- 
tween an  officer's  consort  and  a  guide's  woman  is  as  vast  as 
that  between  the  antiquity  of  Scotland  and  the  antiquity  of 
America.  I  'm  auld  bluid,  too,  I^undie." 

"  Take  my  word  for  it,  Davy,  your  antiquity  will  do  you 
no  good,  in  this  affair  ;  and  as  for  your  blood,  it  is  not  older 
than  your  bones.  Well,  well,  man,  ye  know  the  sergeant's 
answer,  and  so  you  perceive  that  my  influence,  on  which 
you  counted  so  much,  can  do  naught  for  ye.  L,et  us  take  a 
glass  the'gither,  Davy,  for  auld  acquaintance'  sake,  and  then 
ye  '11  be  doing  well  to  remember  the  party  that  marches  the 
morrow,  and  to  forget  Mabel  Dunham  as  fast  as  ever  you 
can.  " 

"Ah!  major,  I  have  always  found  it  easier  to  forget  a 
wife  than  to  forget  a  sweetheart !  When  a  couple  are  fairly 
married,  all  is  settled  but  the  death,  as  one  may  say,  which 
must  finally  part  us  all ;  and  it  seems  to  me  awfu'  irreverent 
to  disturb  the  departed  ;  whereas,  there  is  so  much  anxiety, 
and  hope,  and  felicity,  in  expectation  like,  with  the  lassie, 
that  it  keeps  thought  alive. ' ' 

"That  is  just  my  idea  of  your  situation,  Davy,  for  I  never 
supposed  you  expected  any  more  felicity  with  either  of  your 
wives.  Now,  I  've  heard  of  fellows  who  were  so  stupid  as  to 
look  forward  to  happiness  with  their  wives,  even  beyond  the 
grave.  I  drink  to  your  success,  or  to  your  speedy  recovery 
from  this  attack,  lieutenant ;  and  I  admonish  you  to  be  more 
cautious  in  future,  as  some  of  these  violent  cases  may  yet 
carry  you  off." 

"  Many  thanks,  dear  major  ;  and  a  speedy  termination  to 
an  old  courtship,  of  which  I  know  something.  This  is  rea} 
mountain-dew,  Lundie,  and  it  warms  the  heart  like  a  gleam 
of  bonny  Scotland.  As  for  the  men  you  've  just  mentioned, 
they  could  have  had  but  one  wife  apiece,  for  where  there  ar& 
several,  the  deeds  of  the  women  themselves  may  carry  them 
Different  ways.  I  think  a  reasonable  husband  ought  to  b& 
satisfied  with  passing  his  allotted  time  with  any  particulat 
wife,  in  this  world,  and  not  to  go  about  moping  for  thing* 
unattainable.  I  'm  infinitely  obliged  to  you,  Major  Duncan, 


tS6  TTbe  patbfinfcer 


for  this  and  all  your  other  acts  of  friendship ;  and  if  you 
could  but  add  another,  I  should  think  you  had  not  alto- 
gether forgotten  the  playfellow  of  your  boyhood.  ' ' 

"  Well,  Davy,  if  the  request  be  reasonable,  and  such  as  a 
superior  ought  to  grant,  out  with  it,  man." 

"If  ye  could  only  contrive  a  little  service  for  me  down 
among  the  Thousand  Isles  for  a  fortnight  or  so,  I  think  this 
matter  might  be  settled  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties. 
Just  remember,  Lundie,  the  lassie  is  the  only  marriageable 
white  female  on  this  frontier  !  " 

"There  is  always  duty  for  one  in  your  line  at  a  post, 
however  small ;  but  this  below  can  be  done  by  the  sergeant 
as  well  as  by  the  quartermaster  general,  and  better  too. ' ' 

' '  But  not  better  than  by  a  regimental  officer.  There  is 
great  waste,  in  common,  among  the  orderlies." 

"I  '11  think  of  it,  Muir,"  said  the  major,  laughing,  "  and 
you  shall  have  my  answer  in  the  morning.  Here  will  be  a 
fine  occasion,  man,  the  morrow,  to  show  yourself  off  before 
the  lady ;  you  are  expert  with  the  rifle,  and  prizes  are  to 
be  won.  Make  up  your  mind  to  display  your  skill,  and 
who  knows  what  may  yet  happen  before  the  Scud  sails." 

"  I  'm  thinking  most  of  the  young  men  will  try  their 
hands  in  this  sport,  major? " 

"That  will  they,  and  some  of  the  old  ones,  too,  if  you 
appear.  To  keep  you  in  countenance  I  '11  a  try  shot  or 
two  myself,  Davy ;  and  you  know  I  have  some  name  that 
way." 

"  It  might,  indeed,  do  good  !  The  female  heart,  Major 
Duncan,  is  susceptible  in  many  different  modes,  and  some- 
times in  a  way  that  the  rules  of  philosophy  might  reject. 
Some  require  a  suitor  to  sit  down  before  them,  as  it  might 
be,  in  a  regular  siege,  and  only  capitulate  when  the  place 
can  hold  out  no  longer ;  others  again  like  to  be  carried  by 
storm  ;  while  there  are  hussies  who  can  only  be  caught  by 
leading  them  into  an  ambush.  The  former  is  the  most 
creditable  and  officer-like  process,  perhaps  ;  but  I  must  s^ 
I  think  the  last  the  most  pleasing. ' ' 

An  opinion  formed  from  experience,  out  of  all  question. 
And  what  of  the  storming  parties?  " 


TTbe  patbfin&er  i57 


"They  may  do  for  younger  men,  L,undie,"  returned  the 
quartermaster,  rising  and  winking,  a  liberty  that  he  often 
took  with  his  commanding  officer  on  the  score  of  a  long 
intimacy ;  ' '  every  period  of  life  has  its  necessities,  and  at 
forty-seven  it  's  just  as  well  to  trust  a  little  to  the  head.  I 
wish  you  a  very  good  even,  Major  Duncan,  and  freedom 
from  gout,  with  a  sweet  and  refreshing  sleep. ' ' 

' '  The  same  to  yourself,  Mr.  Muir,  with  many  thanks. 
Remember  the  passage  of  arms  for  the  morrow." 

The  quartermaster  withdrew,  leaving  1,-undie  in  his 
library  to  reflect  on  what  had  just  passed.  Use  had  so 
accustomed  Major  Duncan  to  Lieutenant  Muir  and  all  his 
traits  and  humors,  that  the  conduct  of  the  latter  did  not 
strike  the  former  with  the  same  force  as  it  will  probably 
strike  the  reader.  In  truth,  while  all  men  act  under  one 
common  law  that  is  termed  nature,  the  varieties  in  their 
dispositions,  modes  of  judging,  feelings,  and  selfishness  are 
infinite. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

"  Compel  the  hawke  to  sit  that  is  unmann'd, 
Or  make  the  hound,  untaught,  to  draw  the  deere, 
Or  bring  the  free  against  his  will  in  band, 
Or  move  the  sad  a  pleasant  tale  to  heere, 
Your  time  is  lost,  and  you  no  whit  the  neere  ! 
So  love  ne  learnes,  of  force  the  heart  to  knit : 
She  serves  but  those  that  feel  sweet  fancies'  fit." 

Mirror  for  Magistrates. 

IT  is  not  often  that  hope  is  rewarded  by  fruition  as 
completely  as  the  wishes  of  the  young  men  of  the 
garrison  were  met  by  the  state  of  the  weather  on  the 
succeeding  day.     It  may  be  no  more  than  the  ordinary 
waywardness  of  man,  but  the  Americans  are  a  little  accus- 
tomed to  taking  pride  in  things  that  the  means  of  intelligent 
comparisons  would  probably  show  were,  in  reality,  of  a  very 
inferior  quality,  while  they  overlook  or  undervalue  advan- 
tages that  place  them  certainly  on  a  level  with,  if  not  above, 
most  of  their  fellow-creatures.     Among  the  latter  is  the 
climate,  which,  as  a  whole,  though  far  from  perfect,  is  infi- 
nitely more  agreeable,  and  quite  as  healthy  as  those  of  most 
of  the  countries  which  are  loudest  in  their  denunciations  of  it. 
The  heats  of  summer  were  little  felt  at  Oswego,  at  the 
period  of  which  we  are  writing  ;  for  the  shade  of  the  forest, 
added  to  the  refreshing  breezes  from  the  lake,  so  far  reduced 
the  influence  of  the  sun,  as  to  render  the  nights  always  cool, 
and  the  days  seldom  oppressive. 

It  was  now  September,  a  month  in  which  the  strong  gales 
of  the  coast  often  appear  to  force  themselves  across  the  coun- 
try as  far  as  the  Great  I^akes,  where  the  inland  sailor  some- 
times feels  that    genial  influence  which  characterizes  the 
158 


patbfinber  iS9 


winds  of  the  ocean ;  invigorating  his  frame,  cheering  his 
spirits,  and  arousing  his  moral  force.  Such  a  day  was  that 
on  which  the  garrison  of  Oswego  assembled  to  witness  what 
its  commander  had  jocularly  called  a  "passage  of  arms." 
L,undie  was  a  scholar,  in  military  matters  at  least,  and  it  was 
one  of  his  sources  of  honest  pride  to  direct  the  reading  and 
thoughts  of  the  young  men  under  his  orders,  to  the  more  in- 
tellectual parts  of  their  profession.  For  one  in  his  situation, 
his  library  was  both  good  and- extensive,  and  its  books  were 
freely  lent  to  all  who  desired  to  use  them.  Among  other 
whims  that  had  found  their  way  into  the  garrison,  through 
these  means,  was  a  relish  for  the  sort  of  amusement  in  which 
it  was  now  about  to  indulge  ;  and  around  which  some  chron- 
icles of  the  days  of  chivalry  had  induced  them  to  throw  a 
parade  and  romance,  that  were  not  unsuited  to  the  charac- 
ters and  habits  of  soldiers,  or  to  the  insulated  and  wild  post 
occupied  by  this  particular  garrison.  While  so  earnestly 
bent  on  pleasure,  however,  they  on  whom  that  duty  devolved 
did  not  neglect  the  safety  of  the  garrison.  One  standing  on 
the  ramparts  of  the  fort,  and  gazing  on  the  waste  of  glittering 
water  that  bounded  the  view  all  along  the  northern  horizon, 
and  on  the  slumbering  and  seemingly  boundless  forest,  that 
filled  the  other  half  of  the  panorama,  would  have  fancied  the 
spot  the  very  abode  of  peacefulness  and  security  ;  but  Dun- 
can of  Lundie  too  well  knew  that  the  woods  might  at  any 
moment  give  up  their  hundreds,  bent  on  the  destruction  of 
the  fort  and  all  it  contained,  and  that  even  the  treacherous 
lake  offered  a  highway  of  easy  approach,  by  which  his  more 
civilized  and  scarcely  less  wily  foes,  the  French,  could  come 
upon  him  at  an  unwelcome  and  unguarded  moment.  Parties 
were  sent  out,  under  old  and  vigilant  officers,  men  who 
cared  little  for  the  sports  of  the  day,  to  scour  the  forest ;  and 
one  entire  company  held  the  fort,  under  arms,  with  orders  to 
maintain  a  vigilance  as  strict  as  if  an  enemy  of  superior  force 
was  known  to  be  near.  With  these  precautions,  the  remain- 
der of  the  officers  and  men  abandoned  themselves,  without 
apprehension,  to  the  business  of  the  morning. 

The  spot  selected  for  the  sports  was  a  sort  of  esplanade,  a 
little  west  of  the  fort,  and  on  the  immediate  bank  of  the  lake. 


160  ttbe  patbfinfcer 


It  had  been  cleared  of  its  trees  and  stumps,  that  it  might 
answer  the  purpose  of  a  parade  ground,  as  it  possessed  the 
advantages  of  having  its  rear  protected  by  the  water,  and 
one  of  its  flanks  by  the  works.  Men  drilling  on  it  could  be 
attacked,  consequently,  on  two  sides  only  ;  and  as  the  cleared 
space  beyond  it,  in  the  direction  of  the  west  and  south,  was 
large,  any  assailants  would  be  compelled  to  quit  the  cover  of 
the  woods,  before  they  could  make  an  approach  sufficiently 
near  to  render  them  dangerous. 

Although  the  regular  arms  of  the  regiment  were  muskets, 
some  fifty  rifles  were  produced  on  the  present  occasion. 
Every  officer  had  one,  as  a  part  of  his  private  provision  for 
amusement ;  many  belonged  to  the  scouts  and  friendly 
Indians,  of  whom  more  or  less  were  always  hanging  about 
the  fort ;  and  there  was  a  public  provision  of  them,  for  the 
use  of  those  who  followed  the  game  with  the  express  object 
of  obtaining  supplies.  Among  those  who  carried  the  weapon, 
were  some  five  or  six,  who  had  reputations  for  knowing  how 
to  use  it  particularly  well — so  well,  indeed,  as  to  have  given 
them  a  celebrity  on  the  frontier ;  twice  that  number  who 
were  believed  to  be  much  better  than  common ;  and  many  who 
would  have  been  thought  expert,  in  almost  any  situation, 
but  the  precise  one  in  which  they  now  happened  to  be  placed. 

The  distance  was  a  hundred  yards,  and  the  weapon  was 
to  be  used  without  a  rest ;  the  target,  a  board,  with  the  cus- 
tomary circular  lines  in  white  paint,  having  the  bull's-eye  in 
the  centre.  The  first  trials  in  skill  commenced  with  chal- 
lenges among  the  more  ignoble  of  the  competitors,  to  display 
their  steadiness  and  dexterity  in  idle  competition.  None  but 
the  common  men  engaged  in  this  strife,  which  had  little  to 
interest  the  spectators,  among  whom  no  officer  had  yet 
appeared. 

Most  of  the  soldiers  were  Scotch,  the  regiment  having 
been  raised  at  Stirling  and  its  vicinity,  not  many  years 
before ;  though,  as  in  the  case  of  Sergeant  Dunham,  many 
Americans  had  joined  it,  since  its  arrival  in  the  colonies. 
As  a  matter  of  course,  the  provincials  were  generally  the 
most  expert  marksmen  ;  and  after  a  desultory  trial  of  half  an 
hour,  it  was  necessarily  conceded,  that  a  youth,  who  had 


patbffnfcer  161 


been  born  in  the  colony  of  New  York,  and  who,  coming  of 
Dutch  extraction,  bore  the  euphonious  name  of  Van  Valken- 
burg,  but  was  familiarly  called  Pollock,  was  the  most  expert 
of  all  who  had  yet  tried  their  skill.  It  was  just  as  this 
opinion  prevailed,  that  the  oldest  captain,  accompanied  by 
most  of  the  gentlemen  and  ladies  of  the  fort,  appeared  on 
the  parade.  A  train  of  some  twenty  females  of  humbler  con- 
dition followed,  among  whom  was  seen  the  well-turned  form, 
intelligent,  blooming,  animated  countenance,  and  neat,  be- 
coming attire  of  Mabel  Dunham. 

Of  females  who  were  officially  recognized  as  belonging  to 
the  class  of  ladies,  there  were  but  three  in  the  fort,  all  of 
whom  were  officers'  wives  ;  staid  matronly  women,  with  the 
simplicity  of  the  habits  of  middle  life  singularly  mixed  in 
their  deportment  with  their  notions  of  professional  superior- 
ity, the  rights  and  duties  of  caste,  and  the  etiquette  of  rank. 
The  other  women  were  the  wives  of  non-commissioned 
officers  and  privates ;  Mabel  being  strictly,  as  had  been 
stated  by  the  quartermaster,  the  only  real  candidate  for 
matrimony  among  her  sex.  There  were  a  dozen  other  girls, 
it  is  true,  but  they  were  still  classed  among  the  children, 
none  of  them  being  yet  of  an  age  to  elevate  them  into  ob- 
jects of  legitimate  admiration. 

Some  little  preparation  had  been  made  for  the  proper  re- 
ception of  the  females,  who  were  placed  on  a  low  staging  of 
planks,  near  the  immediate  bank  of  the  lake.  In  this 
vicinity  the  prizes  were  suspended  from  a  post.  Great  care 
was  taken  to  reserve  the  front  seat  of  the  stage  for  the 
three  ladies  and  their  children;  while  Mabel,  and  those  who 
belonged  to  the  non-commissioned  officers  of  the  regiment, 
occupied  the  second.  The  wives  and  daughters  of  the  pri- 
vates were  huddled  together  in  the  rear,  some  standing,  and 
some  sitting,  as  they  could  find  room.  Mabel,  who  had 
already  been  admitted  to  the  society  of  the  officers'  wives, 
on  the  footing  of  an  humble  companion,  was  a  good  deal 
noticed  by  the  ladies  in  front,  who  had  a  proper  apprecia- 
tion of  modest  self-respect  and  gentle  refinement,  though 
they  were  all  fully  aware  of  the  value  of  rank,  more  par- 
ticularly in  a  garrison. 


1 62  tTbe  fltatbfinber 


As  soon  as  this  important  portion  of  the  spectators  had 
got  into  their  places,  L,undie  gave  orders  for  the  trial  of  skill 
to  proceed,  in  the  manner  that  had  been  prescribed  in  his 
previous  orders.  Some  eight  or  ten  of  the  best  marksmen 
of  the  garrison  now  took  possession  of  the  stand,  and  began 
to  fire  in  succession.  Among  them  were  officers  and  men 
indiscriminately  placed,  nor  were  the  casual  visitors  in  the 
fort  excluded  from  the  competition.  As  might  have  been 
expected  of  men  whose  amusements  and  comfortable  sub- 
sistence equally  depended  on  skill  in  the  use  of  their  weap- 
ons, it  was  soon  found  that  they  were  all  sufficiently  expert 
to  hit  the  bull's-eye,  or  the  white  spot  in  the  centre  of  the 
target.  Others,  who  succeeded  them,  it  is  true,  were  less 
sure,  their  bullets  striking  in  the  different  circles  that  sur- 
rounded the  centre  of  the  target,  without  touching  it. 

According  to  the  rules  of  the  day,  none  could  proceed  to 
the  second  trial  who  had  failed  in  the  first ;  and  the  adju- 
tant of  the  place,  who  acted  as  master  of  the  ceremonies,  or 
marshal  of  the  day,  called  upon  the  successful  adventurers 
by  name,  to  get  ready  for  the  next  effort,  while  he  gave 
notice  that  those  who  failed  to  present  themselves  for  the 
shot  at  the  bull's-eye  would  necessarily  be  excluded  from  all 
the  higher  trials.  Just  at  this  moment,  Lundie,  the  quar- 
termaster, and  Jasper  Bau-douce  appeared  in  the  group  at 
the  stand,  while  the  Pathfinder  walked  leisurely  on  the 
ground,  without  his  beloved  rifle ;  for  him,  a  measure  so, 
unusual  as  to  be  understood  by  all  present  as  a  proof  that 
he  did  not  consider  himself  a  competitor  for  the  honors  of 
the  day.  All  made  way  for  Major  Duncan,  who,  as  he  ap- 
proached the  stand,  in  a  good-humored  way  took  his  station, 
levelled  his  rifle  carelessly,  and  fired.  The  bullet  missed 
the  required  mark  by  several  inches. 

"  Major  Duncan  is  excluded  from  the  other  trials  !  "  pro- 
claimed the  adjutant,  in  a  voice  so  strong  and  confident,  that 
all  the  elder  officers  and  the  sergeants  well  understood  that 
this  failure  was  preconcerted,  while  the  younger  gentlemen 
and  the  privates  felt  new  encouragement  to  proceed,  on  ac- 
count of  the  evident  impartiality  with  which  the  laws  of  the 
sports  were  administered,  nothing  being  so  attractive  to  the 


Ube  jpatbffnfcer  163 


unsophisticated  as  the  appearance  of  rigorous  justice,  and 
nothing  so  rare  as  its  actual  administration. 

"  Now,  Master  Eau-douce,  comes  your  turn,"  said  Muir, 
"and  if  you  do  not  beat  the  major,  I  shall  say  that  your 
hand  is  better  skilled  with  the  oar  than  with  the  rifle." 

Jasper's  handsome  face  flushed,  he  stepped  upon  the  stand, 
cast  a  hasty  glance  at  Mabel,  whose  pretty  form  he  ascer- 
tained was  bending  eagerly  forward,  as  if  to  note  the  result, 
dropped  the  barrel  of  his  rifle,  with  but  little  apparent  care, 
into  the  palm  of  his  left  hand,  raised  the  muzzle  for  a  single 
instant,  with  exceeding  steadiness,  and  fired.  The  bullet 
paSvSed  directly  through  the  centre  of  the  bull's-eye,  much 
the  best  shot  of  the  morning,  since  the  others  had  merely 
touched  the  paint. 

"Well  performed,  Master  Jasper,"  said  Muir,  as  soon  as 
the  result  was  declared  ;  ' '  and  a  shot  that  might  have  done 
credit  to  an  older  head  and  a  more  experienced  eye.  I  'm 
thinking,  notwithstanding,  there  was  some  of  a  youngster's 
luck  in  it,  for  ye  were  no  partic'lar  in  the  aim  ye  took.  Ye 
may  be  quick,  Eau-douce,  in  the  movement,  but  ye  'r  not 
philosophic  nor  scientific  in  ye'r  management  of  the  weapon. 
Now,  Sergeant  Dunham,  I  '11  thank  you  to  request  the  ladies 
to  give  a  closer  attention  than  common,  for  I  'm  about  to 
make  that  use  of  the  rifle  which  may  be  called  the  intellect- 
ual. Jasper  would  have  killed,  I  allow  ;  but  then  there 
would  not  have  been  half  the  satisfaction  in  receiving  such 
a  shot,  as  in  receiving  one  that  is  discharged  scientifically." 

All  this  time  the  quartermaster  was  preparing  himself 
for  the  scientific  trial ;  but  he  delayed  his  aim  until  he  saw 
that  the  eye  of  Mabel,  in  common  with  those  of  her  com- 
panions, was  fastened  on  him  in  curiosity.  As  the  others 
left  him  room,  out  of  respect  to  his  rank,  no  one  stood  near 
the  competitor  but  his  commanding  officer,  to  whom  he  now 
said  in  his  familiar  manner, — 

"You  see,  I^undie,  that  something  is  to  be  gained  by 
exciting  a  female's  curiosity.  It's  an  active  sentiment,  is 
curiosity,  and  properly  improved  may  lead  to  gentler  incli- 
nations in  the  end. ' ' 

"Very  true,  Davy ;  but  ye  keep  us  all  waiting  while  ye 


164  TTbe  jp>atbfin&er 


make  your  preparations  ;  and  here  is  Pathfinder  drawing 
near  to  catch  a  lesson  from  your  greater  experience. ' ' 

"Well,  Pathfinder,  and  so  you  have  come  to  get  an  idea 
too,  concerning  the  philosophy  of  shooting  !  I  do  not  wish 
to  hide  my  light  under  a  bushel,  and  ye  're  welcome  to  all 
ye  '11  learn.  Do  ye  no  mean  to  try  a  shot  yersel',  man  ?  " 

"Why  should  I,  quartermaster — why  should  I?  I  want 
none  of  the  prizes ;  and  as  for  honor,  I  have  had  enough  of 
that,  if  it 's  an  honor  to  shoot  better  than  yourself.  I  'm  not 
a  woman,  to  wear  a  calash." 

"Very  true  ;  but  ye  might  find  a  woman  that  is  precious 
in  your  eyes  to  wear  it  for  ye,  as — ' ' 

"Come,  Davy,"  interrupted  the  major,  "your  shot,  or  a 
retreat.  The  adjutant  is  getting  to  be  impatient." 

"The  quartermaster's  department,  and  the  adjutant's  de- 
partment, are  seldom  compliable,  Lundie ;  but  I  'm  ready  ; 
stand  a  little  aside,  Pathfinder,  and  give  the  ladies  an  oppor- 
tunity." 

I/ieutenant  Muir  now  took  his  attitude  with  a  good  deal 
of  studied  elegance,  raised  his  rifle  slowly,  lowered  it,  raised 
it  again,  repeated  the  manreuvres,  and  fired. 

"  Missed  the  target  altogether  !  "  shouted  the  man  whose 
duty  it  was  to  mark  the  bullets,  and  who  had  little  relish  for 
the  quartermaster's  tedious  science.  "  Missed  the  target ! ',' 

' '  It  cannot  be  !  "  cried  Muir,  his  face  flushing  equally  with 
indignation  and  shame ;  "it  cannot  be,  adjutant ;  for  I  never 
did  so  awkward  a  thing  in  my  life.  I  appeal  to  the  ladies  for 
a  j  uster  j  udgment. ' ' 

"The  ladies  shut  their  eyes  when  you  fired,"  exclaimed 
the  regimental  wags.  ' '  Your  preparations  alarmed  them. ' ' 

"  I  will  na  believe  such  a  calumny  of  the  leddies,  nor  sic' 
a  reproach  on  my  own  skill,"  returned  the  quartermaster, 
growing  more  and  more  Scotch,  as  he  warmed  with  his  feel- 
ings ;  "it  's  a  conspiracy  to  rob  a  meritorious  man  of  his 
dues." 

"  It  's  a  dead  miss,  Muir, ' '  said  the  laughing  I^undie,  ' '  and 
ye  '11  jist  sit  down  quietly  with  the  disgrace." 

"No,  no,  major,"  Pathfinder  at  length  observed,  "the 
quartermaster  is  a  good  shot,  for  a  slow  one,  and  a  measured 


Ube  jpatbffnber  165 


distance  ;  though  nothing  extr'ornary,  for  raal  sarvice.  He 
has  covered  Jasper's  bullet,  as  will  be  seen,  if  any  one  will 
take  the  trouble  to  examine  the  target." 

The  respect  for  Pathfinder's  skill,  and  for  his  quickness 
and  accuracy  of  sight,  was  so  profound  and  general,  that  the 
instant  he  made  this  declaration,  the  spectators  began  to  dis- 
trust their  own  opinions,  and  a  dozen  rushed  to  the  target, 
in  order  to  ascertain  the  fact.  There,  sure  enough,  it  was 
found  that  the  quartermaster's  bullet  had  gone  through  the 
hole  made  by  Jasper's,  and  that,  too,  so  accurately  as  to 
require  a  minute  examination  to  be  certain  of  the  circum- 
stance ;  which,  however,  was  soon  clearly  established,  by 
discovering  one  bullet  over  the  other,  in  the  stump  against 
which  the  target  was  placed. 

' '  I  told  ye,  ladies,  ye  were  about  to  witness  the  influence 
cf  science  on  gunnery,"  said  the  quartermaster,  advancing 
towards  the  staging  occupied  by  the  females.  "  Major  Dun- 
can derides  the  idea  of  mathematics  entering  into  target 
shooting  ;  but  I  tell  him  philosophy  colors,  and  enlarges,  and 
improves,  and  dilates,  and  explains,  everything  that  belongs 
to  human  life,  whether  it  be  a  shooting  match  or  a  sermon. 
In  a  word,  philosophy  is  philosophy,  and  that  is  saying  all 
that  the  subject  requires." 

"  I  trust  you  exclude  love  from  the  catalogue,"  observed 
the  wife  of  a  captain,  who  knew  the  history  of  the  quarter- 
master's marriages,  and  who  had  a  woman's  malice  against 
the  monopolizer  of  her  sex  ;  "it  seems  that  philosophy  has 
little  in  common  with  love." 

"  You  would  n't  say  that,  madam,  if  your  heart  had  ex- 
perienced many  trials.  It  's  the  man  or  the  woman  that  has 
had  many  occasions  to  improve  the  affections  that  can  best 
speak  of  such  matters  ;  and,  believe  me,  of  all  love,  philo- 
sophical is  the  most  lasting,  as  it  is  the  most  rational." 

' '  You  would  then  recommend  experience  as  an  improve- 
ment on  the  passion  ?  ' ' 

' '  Your  quick  mind  has  conceived  the  idea  at  a  glance. 
The  happiest  marriages  are  those  in  which  youth,  and  beauty, 
and  confidence  on  one  side,  rely  on  the  sagacity,  moderation, 
and  prudence  of  years — middle  age,  I  mean,  madam,  for  I  '11 


i66  TTbe 


no  deny  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  a  husband's  being  too 
old  for  a  wife.  Here  is  Sergeant  Dunham's  charming 
daughter,  now,  to  approve  of  such  sentiments,  I  'm  certain, 
— her  character  for  discretion  being  already  well  established 
in  the  garrison,  short  as  has  been  her  residence  among  us. ' ' 

"Sergeant  Dunham's  daughter  is  scarcely  a  fitting  inter- 
locutor in  a  discourse  between  you  and  me,  Lieutenant 
Muir,"  rejoined  the  captain's  lady,  with  careful  respect  for 
her  own  dignity  ;  ' '  and  yonder  is  the  Pathfinder  about  to 
take  his  chance,  by  way  of  changing  the  subject." 

"I  protest,  Major  Duncan,  I  protest" — cried  Muir,  hur- 
rying back  towards  the  stand,  with  both  arms  elevated  by 
way  of  enforcing  his  words — "  I  protest,  in  the  strongest 
terms,  gentlemen,  against  Pathfinder's  being  admitted  into 
these  sports  with  Killdeer,  which  is  a  piece,  to  say  nothing 
of  long  habit,  that  is  altogether  out  of  proportion,  for  a 
trial  of  skill  against  government  rifles." 

"Killdeer  is  taking  its  rest,  quartermaster,"  returned 
Pathfinder,  calmly,  "  and  no  one  here  thinks  of  disturbing 
it.  I  did  not  think  myself  of  pulling  a  trigger  to-day  ;  but 
Sergeant  Dunham  has  been  persuading  me  that  I  shall  not 
do  proper  honor  to  his  handsome  daughter,  who  came  under 
my  care,  if  I  am  backward  on  such  an  occasion.  I  'm  using 
Jasper's  rifle,  quartermaster,  as  you  may  see,  and  that,  is 
no  better  than  your  own. ' ' 

Lieutenant  Muir  was  now  obliged  to  acquiesce,  and  every 
eye  turned  towards  the  Pathfinder,  as  he  took  the  required 
station.  The  air  and  attitude  of  this  celebrated  guide  and 
hunter  were  extremely  fine,  as  he  raised  his  tall  form  and 
levelled  the  piece,  showing  perfect  self-command,  and  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  the  power  of  the  human  frame,  as  well 
as  of  the  weapon.  Pathfinder  was  not  what  is  usually 
termed  a  handsome  man,  though  his  appearance  excited  so 
much  confidence,  and  commanded  respect.  Tall,  and  even 
muscular,  his  frame  might  have  been  esteemed  nearly  per- 
fect, were  it  not  for  the  total  absence  of  everything  like 
flesh.  Whip-cord  was  scarcely  more  rigid  than  his  arms  and 
legs,  or,  at  need,  more  pliable  ;  but  the  outlines  of  his  per- 
son were  rather  too  angular  for  the  proportion  that  the  eye 


jpatbfinfcer  167 


most  approves.  Still,  his  motions  being  natural,  were 
graceful ;  and  being  calm  and  regulated,  they  gave  him  an 
air  of  dignity  that  associated  well  with  the  idea  that  was  so 
prevalent  of  his  services  and  peculiar  merits.  His  honest, 
open  features  were  burnt  to  a  bright  red,  that  comported 
with  the  notion  of  exposure  and  hardships,  while  his  sinewy 
hands  denoted  force,  and  a  species  of  use  that  was  removed 
from  the  stiffening  and  deforming  effects  of  labor.  Although 
no  one  perceived  any  of  those  gentler  or  more  insinuating 
qualities  which  are  apt  to  win  upon  a  woman's  affections,  as 
he  raised  his  rifle,  not  a  female  eye  was  fastened  on  him,  with- 
out a  silent  approbation  of  the  freedom  of  his  movements, 
and  the  manliness  of  his  air.  Thought  was  scarcely  quicker 
than  his  aim,  and,  as  the  smoke  floated  above  his  head,  the 
breech  of  the  rifle  was  seen  on  the  ground,  the  hand  of  the 
Pathfinder  was  leaning  on  the  barrel,  and  his  honest  coun- 
tenance was  illuminated  by  his  usual  silent,  hearty  laugh. 

"  If  one  dared  to  hint  at  such  a  thing,"  cried  Major  Dun- 
can, "  I  should  say  that  the  Pathfinder  had  also  missed  the 
target!" 

"No,  no,  major,"  returned  the  guide,  confidently,  "that 
•would  be  a  risky  declaration.  I  didn't  load  the  piece, 
and  can't  say  what  was  in  it ;  but  if  it  was  lead,  you  will 
find  the  bullet  driving  down  those  of  the  quartermaster's 
and  Jasper's  ;  else  is  not  my  name  Pathfinder." 

A  shout  from  the  target  announced  the  truth  of  this 
assertion. 

"That's  not  all— that's  not  all,  boys,"  called  out  the 
guide,  who  was  now  slowly  advancing  towards  the  stage 
occupied  by  the  females ;  "  if  you  find  the  target  touched 
at  all,  I  '11  own  to  a  miss.  The  quartermaster  cut  the  wood, 
but  you  '11  find  no  wood  cut  by  that  last  messenger." 

"Very  true,  Pathfinder,  very  true,"  answered  Muir,  who 
was  lingering  near  Mabel,  though  ashamed  to  address  her 
particularly,  in  the  presence  of  the  officers'  wives.  "  The 
quartermaster  did  cut  the  wood,  and  by  that  means  he 
opened  a  passage  for  your  bullet,  which  went  through  the 
hole  he  had  made." 

"Well,  quartermaster,  there  goes  the  nail,  and  we'll  see 


X68  ttbe  patbfinfcer 


who  can  drive  it  closest,  you  or  I ;  for,  though  I  did  not 
think  of  showing  what  a  rifle  can  do  to-day,  now  my  hand 
is  in,  I  '11  turn  my  back  to  no  man  that  carries  King  George's 
commission.  Chingachgook  is  outlying,  or  he  might  force 
me  into  some  of  the  niceties  of  the  art ;  but  as  for  you, 
quartermaster,  if  the  nail  don't  stop  you,  the  potato  will." 

"You're  over-boastful  this  morning,  Pathfinder;  but 
you  '11  find  you  've  no  green  boy,  fresh  from  the  settlements 
and  the  towns,  to  deal  with,  I  will  assure  ye  !  " 

' '  I  know  that  well,  quartermaster ;  I  know  that  well,  and 
shall  not  deny  your  experience.  You  've  lived  many  years 
on  the  frontiers,  and  I  've  heard  of  you  in  the  colonies,  and 
among  the  Injins,  too,  quite  a  human  life  ago." 

"  Na,  na,"  interrupted  Muir,  in  his  broadest  Scotch,  "this 
is  injustice,  man.  I  've  no  lived  so  very  long,  neither." 

"  I  '11  do  you  justice,  lieutenant,  even  if  you  get  the  best 
in  the  potato  trial.  I  say  you  've  passed  a  good  human  life, 
for  a  soldier,  in  places  where  the  rifle  is  daily  used,  and  I 
know  you  are  a  creditable  and  ingenious  marksman  ;  but 
then  you  are  not  a  true  rifle-shooter.  As  for  boasting,  I 
hope  I  'm  not  a  vain  talker  about  my  own  exploits ;  but  a 
man's  gifts  are  his  gifts,  and  it 's  flying  in  the  face  of  Provi- 
dence to  deny  them.  The  sergeant's  daughter,  here,  shall 
judge  atween  us,  if  you  have  the  stomach  to  submit  to  so 
pretty  a  judge." 

The  Pathfinder  had  named  Mabel  as  the  arbiter,  because 
he  admired  her,  and  because,  in  his  eyes,  rank  had  little  or 
no  value ;  but  Lieutenant  Muir  shrank  at  such  a  reference 
in  the  presence  of  the  wives  of  the  officers.  He  would 
gladly  keep  himself  constantly  before  the  eyes  and  the  imag- 
ination of  the  object  of  his  wishes  ;  but  he  was  still  too  much 
under  the  influence  of  old  prejudices,  and  perhaps  too  wary, 
to  appear  openly  as  her  suitor,  unless  he  saw  something 
very  like  a  certainty  of  success.  On  the  discretion  of  Ma- 
jor Duncan  he  had  a  full  reliance,  and  he  apprehended  no 
betrayal  from  that  quarter  ;  but  he  was  quite  aware,  should 
it  ever  get  abroad  that  he  had  been  refused  by  the  child  of 
a  non-commissioned  officer,  he  would  find  great  difficulty  in 
making  his  approaches  to  any  other  woman  of  a  condition 


patbfinfcer  169 


to  which  he  might  reasonably  aspire.  Notwithstanding 
these  doubts  and  misgivings,  Mabel  looked  so  prettily, 
blushed  so  charmingly,  smiled  so  sweetly,  and  altogether 
presented  so  winning  a  picture  of  youth,  spirit,  modesty, 
and  beauty,  that  he  found  it  exceedingly  tempting  to  be 
kept  so  prominently  before  her  imagination,  and  to  be  able 
to  address  her  freely. 

"You  shall  have  it  your  own  way,  Pathfinder,"  he 
answered,  as  soon  as  his  doubts  had  settled  down  Into 
determination;  "let  the  sergeant's  daughter — his  charming 
daughter,  I  should  have  termed  her — be  the  umpire  then ; 
and  to  her  we  will  both  dedicate  the  prize,  that  one  or  the 
other  must  certainly  win.  Pathfinder  must  be  humored, 
ladies,  as  you  perceive,  else,  no  doubt,  we  should  have  had 
the  honor  to  submit  ourselves  to  one  of  your  charming 
society." 

A  call  for  the  competitors  now  drew  the  quartermaster 
and  his  adversary  away ;  and  in  a  few  moments  the  second 
trial  of  skill  commenced.  A  common  wrought  nail  was 
driven  lightly  into  the  target,  its  head  having  been  first 
touched  with  paint,  and  the  marksman  was  required  to  hit 
it,  or  he  lost  his  chances  in  the  succeeding  trials.  No  one 
was  permitted  to  enter  on  this  occasion  who  had  already 
failed  in  the  essay  against  the  bull's-eye. 

There  might  have  been  half  a  dozen  aspirants  for  the 
honors  of  this  trial ;  one  or  two  who  had  barely  succeeded 
in  touching  the  spot  of  paint,  in  the  previous  strife,  prefer- 
ring to  rest  their  reputations  there  ;  feeling  certain  that  they 
could  not  succeed  in  the  greater  effort  that  was  now  exacted 
of  them.  The  three  first  adventurers  failed,  all  coming 
quite  near  the  mark,  but  neither  touching  it.  The  fourth 
person  who  presented  himself  was  the  quartermaster,  who, 
after  going  through  his  usual  attitudes,  so  far  succeeded  as 
to  carry  away  a  small  portion  of  the  head  of  the  nail,  plant- 
ing his  bullet  by  the  side  of  its  point.  This  was  not 
considered  an  extraordinary  shot,  though  it  brought  the 
adventurer  within  the  category. 

"You've  saved  your  bacon,  quartermaster,  as  they  say 
in  the  settlements  of  their  creator's,"  cried  Pathfinder, 


1 7o  TTbe  jpatbfinfcer 


laughing,  "but  it  would  take  a  long  time  to  build  a  house 
with  a  hammer  no  better  than  your'n.  Jasper,  here,  will 
show  you  how  a  nail  is  to  be  started,  or  the  lad  has  lost 
some  of  his  steadiness  of  hand  and  sartainty  of  eye.  You 
would  have  done  better  yourself,  lieutenant,  had  you  not 
been  so  much  bent  on  sogerizing  your  figure.  Shooting  is  a 
nat'ral  gift,  and  is  to  be  exercised  in  a  nat'ral  way." 

"We  shall  see,  Pathfinder;  I  call  that  a  pretty  attempt 
at  a* nail ;  and  I  doubt  if  the  55th  has  another  hammer,  as 
you  call  it,  that  can  do  just  that  same  thing  over  again." 

"Jasper  is  not  in  the  55th — but  there  goes  his  rap  ! ' ' 

As  the  Pathfinder  spoke,  the  bullet  of  Eau-douce  hit 
the  nail  square,  and  drove  it  into  the  target,  within  an  inch 
of  the  head. 

"Be  all  ready  to  clench  it,  boys,"  cried  out  Pathfinder, 
stepping  into  his  friend's  tracks  the  instant  they  were 
vacant.  ' '  Never  mind  a  new  nail ;  I  can  see  that,  though 
the  paint  is  gone,  and  what  I  can  see,  I  can  hit  at  a  hun- 
dred yards,  though  it  were  only  a  mosquito's  eye.  Be  ready 
to  clench ! " 

The  rifle  cracked,  the  bullet  sped  its  way,  and  the  head 
of  the  nail  was  buried  in  the  wood,  covered  by  the  piece  of 
flattened  lead. 

"Well,  Jasper,  lad,"  continued  Pathfinder,  dropping  the 
breech  of  his  rifle  to  the  ground,  and  resuming  the  dis- 
course, as  if  he  thought  nothing  of  his  own  exploit,  ' '  you 
improve  daily.  A  few  more  tramps  on  land,  in  my  company, 
and  the  best  marksman  on  the  frontiers  will  have  occasion  to 
look  keenly,  when  he  takes  his  stand  ag'in  you.  The  quar- 
termaster is  respectable,  but  he  will  never  get  any  further ; 
whereas  you,  Jasper,  have  the  gift,  and  may  one  day  defy 
any  who  pull  trigger." 

"Hoot — hoot!"  exclaimed  Muir,  "do  you  call  hitting 
the  head  of  the  nail  respectable  only,  when  it 's  the  perfec- 
tion of  the  art  ?  Any  one,  in  the  least  refined  and  elevated 
in  sentiment,  knows  that  the  delicate  touches  denote  the 
master ;  whereas  your  sledge-hammer  blows  come  from  the 
rude  and  uninstructed.  If  '  a  miss  is  as  good  as  a  mile,'  a 
hit  ought  to  be  better,  Pathfinder,  whether  it  wound  or  kill." 


ttbe  patbffnfcer  171 


' '  The  surest  way  of  settling  this  rivalry  will  be  to  make 
another  trial,"  observed  Lundie,  "and  that  will  be  of  the 
potato.  You're  Scotch,  Mr.  Muir,  and  might  fare  better 
were  it  a  cake  or  a  thistle  ;  but  frontier  law  has  declared  for 
the  American  fruit,  and  the  potato  it  shall  be. ' ' 

As  Major  Duncan  manifested  some  impatience  of  manner, 
Muir  had  too  much  tact  to  delay  the  sports  any  longer  with 
his  discursive  remarks,  but  judiciously  prepared  himself  for 
the  next  appeal.  To  say  the  truth,  the  quartermaster  had 
little  or  no  faith  in  his  own  success  in  the  trial  of  skill  that 
was  to  follow,  nor  would  he  have  been  so  free  in  presenting 
himself  as  a  competitor  at  all,  had  he  anticipated  it  would 
have  been  made.  But  Major  Duncan,  who  was  somewhat 
of  a  humorist,  in  his  own  quiet  Scotch  way,  had  secretly 
ordered  it  to  be  introduced,  expressly  to  mortify  him  ;  for,  a 
laird  himself,  Lundie  did  not  relish  the  notion  that  one  who 
might  claim  to  be  a  gentleman,  should  bring  discredit  on  his 
caste  by  forming  an  unequal  alliance.  As  soon  as  every- 
thing was  prepared,  Muir  was  summoned  to  the  stand, 
and  the  potato  was  held  in  readiness  to  be  thrown.  As  the 
sort  of  feat  we  are  about  to  offer  to  the  reader,  however, 
may  be  new  to  him,  a  word  in  explanation  will  render  the 
matter  more  clear.  A  potato  of  large  size  was  selected, 
and  given  to  one,  who  stood  at  the  distance  of  twenty  yards 
from  the  stand.  At  the  word  "  Heave,"  which  was  given 
by  the  marksman,  the  vegetable  was  thrown  with  a  gentle 
toss  into  the  air,  and  it  was  the  business  of  the  adventurer 
to  cause  a  ball  to  pass  through  it,  before  it  reached  the 
ground. 

The  quartermaster,  in  a  hundred  experiments,  had  once 
succeeded  in  accomplishing  this  difficult  feat,  but  he  now 
essayed  to  perform  it  again,  with  a  sort  of  blind  hope,  that 
was  fated  to  be  disappointed.  The  potato  was  thrown  in 
the  usual  manner,  the  rifle  was  discharged,  but  the  flying 
target  was  untouched. 

"To  the  right  about,  and  fall  out,  quartermaster,"  said 
Lundie,  smiling  at  the  success  of  his  own  artifice;  "the 
honor  of  the  silken  calash  will  lie  between  Jasper  Eau-douce 
and  Pathfinder." 


172  Ube  patbfinfcer 


"  And  how  is  the  trial  to  end,  major  ?  "  inquired  the  latter. 
"  Are  we  to  have  the  two-potato  trial,  or  is  it  to  be  settled  by 
centre  and  skin  ? ' ' 

"  By  centre  and  skin,  if  there  is  any  perceptible  difference  ; 
otherwise  the  double  shot  must  follow." 

"This  is  an  awful  moment  to  me,  Pathfinder,"  observed 
Jasper,  as  he  moved  towards  the  stand,  his  face  actually 
losing  its  color  in  intensity  of  feeling. 

Pathfinder  gazed  earnestly  at  the  young  man,  and  then 
begging  Major  Duncan  to  have  patience  for  a  moment,  he 
led  his  friend  out  of  the  hearing  of  all  near  him,  before  he 
spoke. 

"You  seem  to  take  this  matter  to  heart,  Jasper?"  the 
hunter  remarked,  keeping  his  eyes  fastened  on  those  of  the 
youth. 

"I  must  own,  Pathfinder,  that  my  feelings  were  never 
before  so  much  bound  up  in  success." 

"  And  do  you  so  much  crave  to  outdo  me,  an  old  and 
tried  friend? — and  that,  as  it  might  be,  in  my  own  way? 
Shooting  is  my  gift,  boy,  and  no  common  hand  can  equal 
mine ! " 

"  I  know  it — I  know  it,  Pathfinder ;  but — yet — " 

"But  what,  Jasper,  boy? — speak  freely;  you  talk  to  a 
friend." 

The  young  man  compressed  his  lips,  dashed  a  hand  across 
his  eye,  and  flushed  and  paled  alternately,  like  a  girl  con- 
fessing her  love.  Then  squeezing  the  other's  hand,  he  said 
calmly,  like  one  whose  manhood  has  overcome  all  other  sen- 
sations,— 

"I  would  lose  an  arm,  Pathfinder,  to  be  able  to  make  an 
offering  of  that  calash  to  Mabel  Dunham." 

The  hunter  dropped  his  eyes  to  the  ground,  and  as  he 
walked  slowly  back  towards  the  stand,  he  seemed  to  ponder 
deeply  on  what  he  had  just  heard. 

"You  never  could  succeed  in  the  double  trial,  Jasper!" 
he  suddenly  remarked. 

"  Of  that  I  am  certain,  and  it  troubles  me." 

What  a  creature  is  mortal  man  !     He  pines  for  things 
which  are  not  of  his  gifts,  and  treats  the  bounties  of  Prov 


jpatbfinfcer  173 


idence  lightljr.  No  matter — no  matter.  Take  your  station, 
Jasper,  for  the  major  is  waiting ;  and,  harkee,  lad,  I  must 
touch  the  skin,  for  I  could  not  show  my  face  in  the  garrison 
with  less  than  that." 

"  I  suppose  I  must  submit  to  my  fate,"  returned  Jasper, 
flushing  and  losing  his  color,  as  before  ;  ' '  but  I  will  make 
the  effort,  if  I  die." 

"What  a  thing  is  mortal  man  !  "  repeated  Pathfinder, 
falling  back  to  allow  his  friend  room  to  take  his  aim ;  ' '  he 
overlooks  his  own  gifts,  and  craves  them  of  another  ! ' ' 

The  potato  was  thrown,  Jasper  fired,  and  the  shout  that 
followed  preceded  the  announcement  of  the  fact,  that  he  had 
driven  his  bullet  through  its  centre,  or  so  nearly  so  as  to 
merit  that  award. 

' '  Here  is  a  competitor  worthy  of  you,  Pathfinder, ' '  cried 
Major  Duncan,  with  delight,  as  the  former  took  his  station, 
' '  and  we  may  look  to  some  fine  shooting,  in  the  double 
trial." 

"What  a  thing  is  mortal  man  !"  repeated  the  hunter, 
scarce  seeming  to  notice  what  was  passing  around  him,  so 
much  were  his  thoughts  absorbed  in  his  own  reflections. 
"Toss!" 

The  potato  was  tossed,  the  rifle  cracked — it  was  remarked 
just  as  the  little  black  ball  seemed  stationary  in  the  air,  for 
the  marksman  evidently  took  unusual  heed  to  his  aim — and 
then  a  look  of  disappointment  and  wonder  succeeded  among 
those  who  caught  the  falling  target. 

"Two  holes  in  one? "  called  out  the  major. 

' '  The  skin — the  skin  ! ' '  was  the  answer  :  ' '  only  the 
skin  ! ' ' 

"  How  's  this,  Pathfinder  !  Is  Jasper  Eau-douce  to  carry 
off  the  honors  of  the  day  !  ' ' 

"  The  calash  is  his,"  returned  the  other,  shaking  his  head, 
and  walking  quietly  away  from  the  stand.  ' '  What  a  crea- 
ture is  a  mortal  man  !  Never  satisfied  with  his  own  gifts, 
but  forever  craving  that  which  Providence  denies  !  " 

As  Pathfinder  had  not  buried  his  bullet  in  the  potato, 
but  had  cut  through  the  skin,  the  prize  was  immediately 
adjudged  to  Jasper..  The  calash  was  in  the  hands  of  the 


i74  ftbe  patbffnfcet 


latter,  when  the  quartermaster  approached,  and  with  a  pol- 
itic air  of  cordiality,  he  wished  his  successful  rival  joy  of  his 
victory. 

"But  now  you  've  got  the  calash,  lad,  it's  of  no  use  to 
you,"  he  added;  "it  will  never  make  a  sail,  or  even  an 
ensign.  I  'm  thinking,  Eau-douce,  you  'd  no  be  sorry  to  see 
its  value  in  good  silver  of  the  king? " 

"Money  cannot  buy  it,  lieutenant,"  returned  Jasper, 
whose  eye  lighted  up  with  all  the  fire  of  success  and  joy. 
' '  I  would  rather  have  won  this  calash  than  have  obtained 
fifty  new  suits  of  sails  for  the  Scud  !  " 

' '  Hoot,  hoot,  lad  !  you  are  going  mad  like  all  the  rest  of 
them.  I  'd  even  venture  to  offer  half  a  guinea  for  the  trifle, 
rather  than  it  should  lie  kicking  about  in  the  cabin  of  your 
cutter,  and,  in  the  end,  become  an  ornament  for  the  head  of 
a  squaw." 

Although  Jasper  did  not  know  that  the  wary  quarter- 
master had  not  offered  half  the  actual  cost  of  the  prize,  he 
heard  the  proposition  with  indifference.  Shaking  his  head 
in  the  negative,  he  advanced  towards  the  stage,  where  his 
approach  excited  a  little  commotion,  the  officers'  ladies,  one 
and  all,  having  determined  to  accept  the  present,  should  the 
gallantry  of  the  young  sailor  induce  him  to  offer  it.  But 
Jasper's  diffidence,  no  less  than  admiration  for  another, 
would  have  prevented  him  from  aspiring  to  the  honor  of 
complimenting  any  whom  he  thought  so  much  his  superiors. 

"  Mabel,"  he  said,  "  this  prize  is  for  you,  unless — " 

"Unless  what,  Jasper?"  answered  the  girl,  losing  her 
own  bashfulness  in  the  natural  and  generous  wish  to  relieve 
his  embarrassment,  though  both  reddened  in  a  way  to  betray 
strong  feeling. 

"Unless  you  may  think  too  indifferently  of  it,  because  it 
is  offered  by  one  who  may  have  no  right  to  believe  his  gift 
will  be  accepted." 

"  I  do  accept  it,  Jasper;  and  it  shall  be  a  sign  of  the 
danger  I  have  passed  in  your  company,  and  of  the  gratitude 
I  feel  for  your  care  of  me — your  care,  and  that  of  the  Path- 
finder." 

"  Never  mind  me,  never  mind  me,"  exclaimed  the  latter, 


tlbe 


175 


"  this  is  Jasper's  luck  and  Jasper's  gift ;  give  him  full  credit 
for  both.  My  turn  may  come  another  day ;  mine  and  the 
quartermaster's,  who  seems  to  grudge  the  boy  the  calash, 
though  what  he  can  want  of  it,  I  cannot  understand,  for  he 
has  no  wife." 

"And  has  Jasper  Eau-douce  a  wife?  Or  have  you  a 
wife  yoursel',  Pathfinder?  I  may  want  it  to  help  to  get  a 
wife,  or  as  a  memorial  that  I  have  had  a  wife,  or  as  proof 
how  much  I  admire  the  sex,  or  because  it  is  a  female  gar- 
ment, or  for  some  other  equally  respectable  motive.  It 's 
not  the  unreflecting  that  are  the  most  prized  by  the  thought- 
ful, and  there  is  no  surer  sign  that  a  man  made  a  good 
husband  to  his  first  consort,  let  me  tell  you  all,  than  to  see 
him  speedily  looking  around  for  a  competent  successor. 
The  affections  are  good  gifts  from  Providence,  and  they 
that  have  loved  one  faithfully,  prove  how  much  of  this 
bounty  has  been  lavished  upon  them,  by  loving  another  as 
soon  as  possible." 

"  It  may  be  so — it  may  be  so.  I  am  no  practitioner  in 
such  things,  and  cannot  gainsay  it.  But  Mabel,  here,  the 
sergeant's  daughter,  will  give  you  full  credit  for  the  words. 
Come,  Jasper,  although  our  hands  are  out,  let  us  see  what 
the  other  lads  can  do  with  the  rifle. ' ' 

Pathfinder  and  his  companions  retired,  for  the  sports  were 
about  to  proceed.  The  ladies,  however,  were  not  so  much 
engrossed  with  rifle-shooting  as  to  neglect  the  calash.  It 
passed  from  hand  to  hand ;  the  silk  was  felt,  the  fashion 
criticised,  and  the  work  examined,  and  divers  opinions  were 
privately  ventured  concerning  the  fitness  of  so  handsome 
a  thing  passing  into  the  possession  of  a  non-commissioned 
officer's  child. 

"  Perhaps  you  will  be  disposed  to  sell  that  calash,  Mabel, 
when  it  has  been  a  short  time  in  your  possession  ? "  inquired 
the  captain's  lady.  "Wear  it,  I  should  think,  you  never 
can. ' ' 

"  I  may  not  wear  it,  madam,"  returned  our  heroine,  mod- 
estly, "but  I  should  not  like  to  part  with  it,  either." 

"I  dare  say  Sergeant  Dunham  keeps  you  above  the 
necessity  of  selling  your  clothes,  child ;  but,  at  the  same 


176  t£be  fcatbfin&er 


time,  it  is  money  thrown  away  to  keep  an  article  of  dress  you 
can  never  wear.  " 

"  I  should  be  unwilling  to  part  with  the  gift  of  a  friend.  " 

"  But  the  young  man  himself  will  think  all  the  better  of 
you,  for  your  prudence,  after  the  triumph  of  the  day  is  for- 
gotten. It  is  a  pretty  and  a  becoming  calash,  and  ought  not 
to  be  thrown  away.  " 

"I 've  no  intention  to  throw  it  away,  ma'am,  and,  if  you 
please,  would  rather  keep  it." 

"As  you  will,  child  ;  girls  of  your  age  often  overlook 
their  real  advantages.  Remember,  however,  if  you  do  de- 
termine to  dispose  of  the  thing,  that  it  is  bespoke,  and  that  I 
will  not  take  it,  if  you  ever  even  put  it  on  your  own  head." 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  "  said  Mabel,  in  the  meekest  voice  imagina- 
ble, though  her  eyes  looked  like  diamonds,  and  her  cheeks 
reddened  to  the  tints  of  two  roses,  as  she  placed  the  for- 
bidden garment  over  her  well-turned  shoulders,  where  she 
kept  it  a  minute,  as  if  to  try  its  fitness,  and  then  quietly 
removed  it  again. 

The  remainder  of  the  sports  offered  nothing  of  interest. 
The  shooting  was  reasonably  good,  but  the  trials  were  all 
of  a  scale  lower  than  those  related,  and  the  competitors  were 
soon  left  to  themselves.  The  ladies  and  most  of  the  officers 
withdrew,  and  the  remainder  of  the  females  soon  followed 
their  example.  Mabel  was  returning  along  the  low  flat 
rocks  that  line  the  shore  of  the  lake,  dangling  her  pretty 
calash  from  a  prettier  finger,  when  Pathfinder  met  her.  He 
carried  the  rifle  which  he  had  used  that  day,  but  his  manner 
had  less  of  the  frank  ease  of  the  hunter  about  it  than  usual, 
while  his  eye  seemed  roving  and  uneasy.  After  a  few  un- 
meaning words  concerning  the  noble  sheet  of  water  before 
them,  he  turned  towards  his  companion  with  strong  interest 
in  his  countenance,  and  said, — 

"Jasper  earned  that  calash  for  you,  Mabel,  without  much 
trial  of  his  gifts. ' ' 

"  It  was  fairly  done,  Pathfinder.  " 

"  No  doubt,  no  doubt.  The  bullet  passed  neatly  through 
the  potato,  and  no  man  could  have  done  more ;  though 
others  might  have  done  as  much.  " 


tlbe  ipatbfin&er  i77 


' '  But  no  one  did  as  much  ! ' '  exclaimed  Mabel,  with  an 
animation  that  she  instantly  regretted,  for  she  saw  by  the 
pained  look  of  the  guide,  that  he  was  mortified  equally  by  the 
remark,  and  by  the  feeling  with  which  it  was  uttered. 

"  It  is  true — it  is  true,  Mabel,  no  one  did  as  much  then, 
but  yet,  there  is  no  reason  I  should  deny  my  gifts  which 
come  from  Providence ;  yes,  yes — no  one  did  as  much  there, 
but  you  shall  know  what  can  be  done  here.  Do  you  ob- 
serve the  gulls  that  are  flying  over  our  heads  ? ' ' 

"Certainly,  Pathfinder;  there  are  too  many  to  escape 
notice.  " 

"Here,  where  they  cross  each  other,  in  sailing  about,"  he 
added,  cocking  and  raising  his  rifle  ;  ' '  the  two — the  two  ; 
now  look  ! ' ' 

The  piece  was  presented  quick  as  thought,  as  two  of  the 
birds  came  in  a  line,  though  distant  from  each  other  many 
yards ;  the  report  followed,  and  the  bullet  passed  through 
the  bodies  of  both  the  victims.  No  sooner  had  the  gulls 
fallen  into  the  lake,  than  Pathfinder  dropped  the  breech  of 
the  rifle,  and  laughed  in  his  own  peculiar  manner,  eveiy 
shade  of  dissatisfaction  and  mortified  pride  having  left  his 
honest  face. 

"  That  is  something,  Mabel,  that  is  something  ;  although 
I  've  no  calash  to  give  you  !  But  ask  Jasper  himself;  I  '11 
leave  it  all  to  Jasper,  for  a  truer  tongue  and  heart  are  not  in 
America.  " 

"Then  it  was  not  Jasper's  fault  that  he  gained  the 
prize  !  " 

"Not  it.  He  did  his  best,  and  he  did  well.  For  one 
that  has  water  gifts,  rather  than  land  gifts,  Jasper  is  oncom- 
monly  expart,  and  a  better  backer  no  one  need  wish,  ashore 
or  afloat.  But  it  was  my  fault,  Mabel,  that  he  got  the 
calash  ;  though  it  makes  no  difference — it  makes  no  differ- 
ence, for  the  thing  has  gone  to  the  right  person.  " 

"I  believe  I  understand  you,  Pathfinder,  "  said  Mabel, 
blushing  in  spite  of  herself,  "  and  I  look  upon  the  calash  as 
the  joint  gift  of  yourself  and  Jasper.  " 

' '  That  would  not  be  doing  justice  to  the  lad,  neither.  He 
won  the  garment,  and  had  a  right  to  give  it  away.  The 


178  Ube  jpatbfinfcer 


most  you  may  think,  Mabel,  is  to  believe  that  had  I  won  it, 
it  would  have  gone  to  the  same  person.  " 

"I  will  remember  that,  Pathfinder,  and  take  care  that 
others  know  your  skill,  as  it  has  been  proved  upon  the  poor 
gulls,  in  my  presence." 

"Lord  bless  you,  Mabel,  there  is  no  more  need  of  your 
talking  in  favor  of  my  shooting,  on  this  frontier,  than  of 
your  talking  about  the  water  in  the  lake,  or  the  sun  in  the 
heavens.  Everybody  knows  what  I  can  do  in  that  way,  and 
your  words  would  be  thrown  away,  as  much  as  French  would 
be  thrown  away  on  an  American  bear." 

"Then  you  think  that  Jasper  knew  you  were  giving  him 
this  advantage,  of  which  he  had  so  unhandsomely  availed 
himself?  "  said  Mabel,  the  color  which  had  imparted  so  much 
lustre  to  her  eyes  gradually  leaving  her  face,  which  became 
grave  and  thoughtful. 

"  I  do  not  say  that,  but  very  far  from  it.  We  all  forget 
things  that  we  have  known,  when  eager  after  our  wishes. 
Jasper  is  satisfied  that  I  can  pass  one  bullet  through  two 
potatoes,  as  I  sent  my  bullet  through  the  gulls  ;  and  he  knows 
no  other  man  on  the  frontier  can  do  the  same  thing.  But 
with  the  calash  before  his  eyes,  and  the  hope  of  giving  it  to 
you,  the  lad  was  inclined  to  think  better  of  himself,  just  at 
that  moment,  perhaps,  than  he  ought.  No,  no ;  there 's 
nothing  mean  or  distrustful  about  Jasper  Eau-douce,  though 
it  is  a  gift,  nat'ral  to  all  young  men,  to  wish  to  appear  well  in 
the  eyes  of  handsome  young  women." 

"  I  '11  try  to  forget  all,  but  the  kindness  you  've  both  shown 
to  a  poor  motherless  girl,"  said  Mabel,  struggling  to  keep 
down  emotions  that  she  scarcely  knew  how  to  account  for 
herself.  "  Believe  me,  Pathfinder,  I  can  never  forget  all  you 
have  already  done  for  me — you  and  Jasper — and  this  new 
proof  of  your  regard  is  not  thrown  away.  Here — here  is  a 
brooch  that  is  of  silver ;  I  offer  it  as  a  token  that  I  owe  you 
life  or  liberty." 

"What  shall  I  do  with  this,  Mabel?"  asked  the  bewil- 
dered hunter,  holding  the  simple  trinket  in  his  hand.  "I 
have  neither  buckle  nor  button  about  me,  for  I  wear  nothing 
but  leathern  strings,  and  them  of  good  deer-skins.  It's  pretty 


TTbe  jpatbfinfcer  179 

to  the  eye,  but  it  is  prettier  far  on  the  spot  it  came  from,  than 
it  can  be  about  me." 

' '  Nay,  put  it  in  your  hunting-shirt ;  it  will  become  it 
well.  Remember,  Pathfinder,  that  it  is  a  token  of  friend- 
ship between  us,  and  a  sign  that  I  can  never  forget  you  or 
your  services." 

Mabel  then  smiled  an  adieu,  and,  bounding  up  the  bank, 
she  was  soon  lost  to  view  behind  the  mound  of  the  fort. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

"  I^o !  dusky  masses  steal  in  dubious  sight, 
Along  the  leaguered  wall,  and  bristling  bank 
Of  the  armed  river ;  while  with  straggling  light, 
The  stars  peep  through  the  vapor,  dim  and  dank." 

BYRON. 

A  FEW  hours  later,  Mabel  Dunham  was  on  the  bas- 
tion that  overlooked  the  river  and  the  lake,  seem- 
ingly in  deep  thought.     The  evening  was  calm 
and  soft,  and  the  question  had  arisen  whether  the 
party  for  the  Thousand  Islands  would  be  able  to  get  out  that 
night  or  not,  on  account  of  the  total  absence  of  wind.     The 
stores,  arms,  and  ammunition  were  already  shipped,   and 
even  Mabel's  effects  were  on  board  ;  but  the  small  draft  of 
men  that  was  to  go  was  still  ashore,  there  being  no  apparent 
prospect  of  the  cutter's  getting  under  way.      Jasper  had 
warped  the  Scud  out  of  the  cove,  and  so  far  up  the  stream  as 
to  enable  him  to  pass  through  the  outlet  of  the  river  when- 
ever he  chose  ;  but  there  he  still  lay,  riding  at  single  anchor. 
The  drafted  men  were  lounging  about  the  shore  of  the  cove, 
undecided  whether  or  not  to  pull  off. 

The  sports  of  the  morning  had  left  a  quiet  in  the  garrison 
that  was  in  harmony  with  the  whole  of  the  beautiful  scene, 
and  Mabel  felt  its  influence  on  her  feelings,  though  probably 
too  little  accustomed  to  speculate  on  such  sensations,  to  be 
aware  of  the  cause.  Everything  near  appeared  lovely  and 
soothing,  while  the  solemn  grandeur  of  the  silent  forest  and 
placid  expanse  of  the  lake  lent  a  sublimity  that  other  scenes 
might  have  wanted.  For  the  first  time,  Mabel  felt  the  hold 
that  the  towns  and  civilization  had  gained  on  her  habits 
1 80 


ZTbe  patbffnfcer  181 


sensibly  weakened,  and  the  warm-hearted  girl  began  to  think 
that  a  life  passed  amid  objects  such  as  these  around  her 
might  be  happy.  How  far  the  experience  of  the  last  ten 
days  came  in  aid  of  the  calm  and  holy  eventide,  and  con- 
tributed towards  producing  that  young  conviction,  may  be 
suspected,  rather  than  affirmed,  in  this  early  portion  of  our 
legend. 

"A  charming  sunset,  Mabel,"  said  the  hearty  voice  of 
her  uncle,  so  close  to  the  ear  of  our  heroine  as  to  cause  her 
to  start ;  "  a  charming  sunset,  girl,  for  a  fresh-water  concern, 
though  we  should  think  but  little  of  it  at  sea. ' ' 

' '  And  is  not  nature  the  same,  on  shore,  or  at  sea  ;  on  a 
lake  like  this,  or  on  the  ocean  ?  Does  not  the  sun  shine  on 
all  alike,  dear  uncle,  and  can  we  not  feel  gratitude  for  the 
blessings  of  Providence  as  strongly  on  this  remote  frontier 
as  in  our  own  Manhattan  ?  " 

"This  girl  has  fallen  in  with  some  of  her  mother's  books  ! 
though  I  should  think  the  sergeant  would  scarcely  make 
a  second  march  with  such  trumpery  among  his  baggage.  Is 
not  nature  the  same,  indeed  !  Now,  Mabel,  do  you  imagine 
that  the  nature  of  a  soldier  is  the  same  as  that  of  a  seafar- 
ing man?  You  've  relations  in  both  callings,  and  ought  to 
be  able  to  answer." 

"But,  uncle,  I  mean  human  nature — ' 

"So  do  I,  girl ;  the  human  nature  of  a  seaman,  and  the 
human  nature  of  one  of  these  fellows  of  the  55th,  not  even 
excepting  your  own  father.  Here  have  they  had  a  shoot- 
ing match — target  firing  I  should  call  it — this  day,  and 
what  a  different  thing  has  it  been  from  a  target  firing  afloat ! 
There  we  should  have  sprung  our  broadside,  sported  with 
round  shot,  at  an  object  half  a  mile  off  at  the  very  nearest ; 
and  the  potatoes,  if  there  happened  to  be  any  on  board,  as 
quite  likely  would  not  have  been  the  case,  would  have  been 
left  in  the  cook's  coppers.  It  may  be  an  honorable  calling, 
that  of  a  soldier,  Mabel,  but  an  experienced  hand  sees  many 
follies  and  weaknesses  in  one  of  these  forts.  As  for  that 
bit  of  a  lake,  you  know  my  opinion  of  it  already,  and  I 
wish  to  disparage  nothing.  No  real  seafarer  disparages  any- 
thing ;  but  d e  if  I  regard  this  here  Ontario,  as  they 


1 82  Ube  ipatbffnfcer 


call  it,  as  more  than  so  much  water  in  a  ship's  scuttle-butt. 
Now,  look  you  here,  Mabel,  if  you  wish  to  understand  the 
difference  between  the  ocean  and  a  lake,  I  can  make  you 
comprehend  it  with  a  single  look  :  this  is  what  one  may 
call  a  calm,  seeing  that  there  is  no  wind ;  though,  to  own 
the  truth,  I  do  not  think  the  calms  are  as  calm  as  them 
we  get  outside — " 

"Uncle,  there  is  not  a  breath  of  air !  I  do  not  think  it 
possible  for  the  leaves  to  be  more  immovably  still  than  those 
of  the  entire  forest  are  at  this  very  moment." 

"Leaves  !  what  are  leaves,  child?  there  are  no  leaves  at 
sea.  If  you  wish  to  know  whether  it  is  a  dead  calm  or  not, 
try  a  mould  candle — your  dips  flaring  too  much — and  then 
you  may  be  certain  whether  there  is  or  is  not  any  wind.  If 
you  were  in  a  latitude  where  the  air  was  so  still  that  you 
found  a  difficulty  in  stirring  it  to  draw  it  in,  in  breathing, 
you  might  fancy  it  a  calm.  People  are  often  on  a  short 
allowance  of  air  in  the  calm  latitudes.  Here,  again,  look  at 
that  water  !  It  is  like  milk  in  a  pan,  with  no  more  motion 
now  than  there  is  in  a  full  hogshead  before  the  bung  is 
started.  On  the  ocean  the  water  is  never  still,  let  the  air  be 
as  quiet  as  it  may." 

' '  The  water  of  the  ocean  never  still,  uncle  Cap  !  not  even 
in  a  calm?" 

"  Bless  your  heart,  no,  child.  The  ocean  breathes  like  a 
living  being,  and  its  bosom  is  always  heaving,  as  the  poet- 
izers  call  it,  though  there  be  no  more  air  than  is  to  be  found 
in  a  siphon.  No  man  ever  saw  the  ocean  still  like  this  lake  ; 
but  it  heaves  and  sets  as  if  it  had  lungs." 

"And  this  lake  is  not  absolutely  still,  for  you  perceive 
there  is  a  little  ripple  on  the  shore,  and  you  may  even  hear 
the  surf  plunging,  at  moments,  against  the  rocks." 

"  All  d d  poetry  !  One  may  call  a  bubble  a  ripple,  if 

he  will,  and  washing  decks  a  surf;  but  Lake  Ontario  is  no 
more  the  Atlantic  than  a  Powles  Hook  periagua  is  a  first- 
rate.  That  Jasper,  notwithstanding,  is  a  fine  lad,  and  wants 
instruction  only  to  make  a  man  of  him  !  " 

"Do  you  think  him  ignorant,  uncle?"  answered  Mabel, 
prettily  adjusting  her  hair,  in  order  to  do  which  she  was 


TTbe  patMnfcer  183 


obliged,  or  fancied  she  was  obliged,  to  turn  away  her  face. 
' '  To  me,  Jasper  Eau-douce  appears  to  know  more  than  most 
of  the  young  men  of  his  class.  He  has  read  but  little,  for 
books  are  not  plenty  in  this  part  of  the  world,  but  he  has 
thought  much;  at  least  so  it  seems  to  me,  for  one  so 
young." 

"He  is  ignorant — he  is  ignorant,  as  all  must  be  who 
navigate  an  inland  water  like  this.  He  can  make  a  flat 
knot  in  a  timber  hitch,  it  is  true  ;  but  he  has  no  more  notion 
of  crowning  a  cable,  now,  or  of  a  carrick  bend,  than  you 
have  of  catting  an  anchor.  No,  no,  Mabel ;  we  both  owe 
something  to  Jasper  and  the  Pathfinder,  and  I  have  been 
thinking  how  I  can  best  serve  them,  for  I  hold  ingratitude 
to  be  the  vice  of  a  hog.  Some  people  say  it  is  the  vice  of 
a  king ;  but  I  say  it  is  the  failing  of  a  hog ;  for  treat  the 
animal  to  your  own  dinner,  and  he  would  eat  you  for  the 
dessert." 

"Very  true,  dear  uncle,  and  we  ought  indeed  to  do  all 
we  can  to  express  our  proper  sense  of  the  services  of  both 
these  brave  men." 

"  Spoken  like  your  mother's  daughter,  girl,  and  in  a  way 
to  do  credit  to  the  Cap  family.  Now,  I  've  hit  upon  a  trav- 
erse that  will  just  suit  all  parties,  and  as  soon  as  we  get  back 
from  this  little  expedition  down  the  lake,  among  them  there 
Thousand  Islands,  and  I  am  ready  to  return,  it  is  my  inten- 
tion to  propose  it." 

' '  Dearest  uncle  !  this  is  so  considerate  in  you,  and  will  be 
so  just  !  May  I  ask  what  your  intentions  are?  " 

"I  see  no  reason  for  keeping  them  a  secret  from  you, 
Mabel,  though  nothing  need  be  said  to  your  father  about 
them,  for  the  sergeant  has  his  prejudices,  and  might  throw 
difficulties  in  the  way.  Neither  Jasper  nor  his  friend 
Pathfinder,  can  ever  make  anything  hereabouts,  and  I  pro- 
pose to  take  both  with  me  down  to  the  coast,  and  get  them 
fairly  afloat.  Jasper  would  find  his  sea-legs  in  a  fortnight, 
and  a  twelvemonth's  v'y'ge  would  make  him  a  man.  Al- 
though Pathfinder  might  take  more  time,  or  never  get  to  be 
rated  able,  yet  one  could  make  something  of  him,  too,  par- 
ticularly as  a  lookout,  for  he  has  unusually  good  eyes. ' ' 


1 84  'Gbe  patbtfnfcer 


"Uncle,  do  you  think  either  would  consent  to  this?" 
said  Mabel,  smiling. 

' '  Do  I  suppose  them  simpletons  ?  What  rational  being 
would  neglect  his  own  advancement  ?  Let  Jaspe.  alone  to 
push  his  way,  and  the  lad  may  yet  die  the  master  of  some 
square-rigged  craft." 

"And  would  he  be  any  the  happier  for  it,  dear  uncle? 
How  much  better  is  it  to  be  the  master  of  a  square-rigged 
craft,  than  to  be  the  master  of  a  round-rigged  craft  ? ' ' 

"Pooh — pooh,  Magnet,  you  are  just  fit  to  read  lectures 
about  ships  before  some  hysterical  society  ;  you  don't  know 
what  you  are  talking  about ;  leave  these  things  to  me,  and 
they  '11  be  properly  managed.  Ah  !  here  is  the  Pathfinder 
himself,  and  I  may  just  as  well  drop  him  a  hint  of  my 
benevolent  intentions  as  regards  himself.  Hope  is  a  great 
encourager  of  our  exertions." 

Cap  nodded  his  head,  and  then  ceased  to  speak,  while 
the  hunter  approached,  not  with  his  usual  frank  and  easy 
manner,  but  in  a  way  to  show  that  he  was  slightly  embar- 
rassed, if  not  distrustful  of  his  reception. 

"Uncle  and  niece  make  a  family  party,  "  said  Pathfinder, 
when  near  the  two,  ' '  and  a  stranger  may  not  prove  a  wel- 
come companion  ? ' ' 

"You  are  no  stranger,  Master  Pathfinder,  "  returned  Cap, 
' '  and  no  one  can  be  more  welcome  than  yourself.  We 
were  talking  of  you  but  a  moment  ago  ;  and  when  friends 
speak  of  an  absent  man,  he  can  guess  what  they  have  said." 

"  I  ask  no  secrets — I  ask  no  secrets.  Every  man  has  his 
inimies,  and  I  have  mine,  though  I  count  neither  you, 
Master  Cap,  nor  pretty  Mabel,  here,  among  the  number. 
As  for  the  Mingos,  I  will  say  nothing  ;  though  they  have  no 
just  cause  to  hate  me." 

"That  I'll  answer  for,  Pathfinder,  for  you  strike  my 
fancy  as  being  well  disposed  and  upright.  There  is  a 
method,  however,  of  getting  away  from  the  enmity  of  even 
these  Mingos,  and  if  you  choose  to  take  it,  no  one  will 
more  willingly  point  it  out  than  myself,  without  a  charge 
for  my  advice  either." 

"I  wish  no  inimies,  Salt-water,  "  for  so  the  Pathfinder  had 


ZTbe  ipatMnber  185 


begun  to  call  Cap,  having,  insensibly  to  himself,  adopted  the 
term  by  translating  the  name  given  him  by  the  Indians  in 
and  about  the  fort, — "  I  wish  no  inimies.  I  'm  as  ready  to 
bury  the  hatchet  with  the  Mingos  as  with  the  French, 
though  you  know  that  it  depends  on  one  greater  than  either 
of  us  so  to  turn  the  heart  as  to  leave  a  man  without  inimies. ' ' 

' '  By  lifting  your  anchor,  and  accompanying  me  down 
to  the  coast,  friend  Pathfinder,  when  we  get  back  from  this 
short  cruise  on  which  we  are  bound,  you  will  find  yourself 
beyond  the  sound  of  the  war-whoop,  and  safe  enough  from 
the  Indian  bullet." 

' '  And  what  should  I  do  on  the  salt  water  ?  Hunt  in 
your  towns  !  Follow  the  trails  of  people  going  and  coming 
from  market,  and  ambush  dogs  and  poultry  !  You  are  no 
friend  to  my  happiness,  Master  Cap,  if  you  would  lead  rne 
out  of  the  shade  of  the  woods,  to  put  me  in  the  sun  of  the 
clearin's  !  " 

' '  I  did  not  propose  to  leave  you  in  the  settlements,  Path- 
finder, but  to  carry  you  out  to  sea,  where  only  a  man  can  be 
said  to  breathe  freely.  Mabel  will  tell  you  that  such  was 
my  intention,  before  a  word  was  said  on  the  subject." 

"And  what  does  Mabel  think  would  come  of  such  a 
change  ?  She  knows  that  a  man  has  his  gifts,  and  that  it  is 
as  useless  to  pretend  to  others,  as  to  withstand  them  that 
come  from  Providence.  I  am  a  hunter,  and  a  scout,  or  a 
guide,  Salt-water,  and  it  is  not  in  me  to  fly  so  much  in  the 
face  of  Heaven  as  to  try  to  become  anything  else.  Am  I 
right,  Mabel,  or  are  you  so  much  of  a  woman  as  to  wish  to 
see  a  natur'  altered  ?  " 

"  I  would  wish  to  see  no  change  in  you,  Pathfinder,  "  Ma- 
bel answered,  with  a  cordial  sincerity  and  frankness  that 
went  directly  to  the  hunter's  heart ;  "  and  much  as  my  uncle 
admires  the  sea,  and  great  as  is  all  the  good  that  he  thinks 
may  come  of  it,  I  could  not  wish  to  see  the  best  and  noblest 
hunter  of  the  woods  transformed  into  an  admiral.  Remain 
what  you  are,  my  brave  friend,  and  you  need  fear  nothing, 
short  of  the  anger  of  God." 

"Do  you  hear  this,  Salt-water?  Do  you  hear  what  the 
sergeant's  daughter  is  saying?  And  she  is  much  too  up- 


1 86  Ube 


right,  and  fair-minded,  and  pretty,  not  to  think  what  she 
says.  So  long  as  she  is  satisfied  with  me  as  I  am,  I  shall  not 
fly  in  the  face  of  the  gifts  of  Providence,  by  striving  to  be- 
come anything  else.  I  may  seem  useless  here,  in  a  garrison, 
but  when  we  get  down  among  the  Thousand  Islands,  there 
may  be  an  opportunity  to  prove  that  a  sure  rifle  is  some- 
times a  God-send." 

"You  are  then  to  be  of  our  party  ?"  said  Mabel,  smiling 
so  frankly  and  so  sweetly  on  the  guide,  that  he  would  have 
followed  her  to  the  end  of  the  earth.  ' '  I  shall  be  the  only 
female,  with  the  exception  of  one  soldier's  wife,  and  shall 
feel  none  the  less  secure,  Pathfinder,  because  you  will  be 
among  our  protectors." 

"  The  sergeant  would  do  that,  Mabel,  the  sergeant  would 
do  that,  though  you  were  not  of  his  kin.  No  one  will  over- 
look you.  I  should  think  your  uncle,  here,  would  like  an 
expedition  of  this  sort,  where  we  shall  go  with  sails,  and 
have  a  look  at  an  inland  sea  ? ' ' 

' '  Your  inland  sea  is  no  great  matter,  Master  Pathfinder, 
and  I  expect  nothing  from  it.  I  confess,  however,  I  should 
like  to  know  the  object  of  the  cruise,  for  one  does  not  wish 
to  be  idle,  and  my  brother-in-law,  the  sergeant,  is  as  close- 
mouthed  as  a  freemason.  Do  you  know,  Mabel,  what  all 
this  means?" 

1 '  Not  in  the  least,  uncle.  I  dare  not  ask  my  father  any 
questions  about  his  duty,  for  he  thinks  it  is  not  a  woman's 
business ;  and  all  I  can  say  is,  that  we  are  to  sail  as  soon 
as  the  wind  will  permit,  and  that  we  are  to  be  absent  a 
month." 

"  Perhaps  Master  Pathfinder  can  give  me  a  useful  hint,  for 
a  v'y'ge  without  an  object  is  never  pleasant  to  an  old  sailor." 

"  There  is  no  great  secret;  Salt-water,  concerning  our  port 
and  object,  though  it  is  forbidden  to  talk  much  about  either 
in  the  garrison.  I  am  no  soldier,  however,  and  can  use  my 
tongue  as  I  please,  though  as  little  given  as  another  to  idle 
conversation,  I  hope ;  still,  as  we  sail  so  soon,  and  you  are 
both  to  be  of  the  party,  you  may  as  well  be  told  where  you 
are  to  be  carried.  You  know  that  there  are  such  things  as 
the  Thousand  Islands,  I  suppose,  Master  Cap  ?  " 


Ube  jpatbffnfcer  187 


"Ay,  what  are  so  called  hereaway,  though  I  take  it  for 
granted  that  they  are  not  real  islands,  such  as  we  fall  in  with 
on  the  ocean  ;  and  that  the  thousand  means  some  such  matter 
as  two  or  three,  like  the  killed  and  wounded  of  a  great  battle. " 

' '  My  eyes  are  good,  yet  have  I  often  been  foiled  in  trying 
to  count  them  very  islands. ' ' 

"Ay,  ay;  I  've  known  people  who  could  n't  count  be- 
yond a  certain  number.  Your  real  land-birds  never  know 
their  own  roosts,  even  in  a  land-fall  at  sea  ;  they  are  what  I 
call  all  things  to  all  men.  How  many  times  have  I  seen  the 
beach,  and  houses  and  churches,  when  the  passengers  have 
not  been  able  to  see  anything  but  water  !  I  have  no  idea 
that  a  man  can  get  fairly  out  of  sight  of  land  on  fresh  water. 
The  thing  appears  to  me  to  be  irrational  and  impossible." 

"You  don't  know  the  lakes,  Master  Cap,  or  you  would 
not  say  that.  Before  we  get  to  the  Thousand  Islands,  you 
will  have  other  notions  of  what  natur'  has  done  in  this 
wilderness." 

' '  I  have  my  doubts  whether  you  have  such  a  thing  as  a 
real  island  in  all  this  region.  To  my  notion,  fresh  water 
can't  make  a  bony  fidy  island  ;  not  what  /call  an  island." 

"We  '11  show  you  hundreds  of  them — not  exactly  a  thou- 
sand, perhaps,  but  so  many  that  eye  cannot  see  them  all,  or 
tongue  count  them." 

"  And  what  sort  of  things  may  they  be  ?  " 

"  Land,  with  water  entirely  around  them." 

"  Ay,  but  what  sort  of  land,  and  what  sort  of  water  ?  I  '11 
engage,  when  the  truth  comes  to  be  known,  they  '11  turn  out 
to  be  nothing  but  peninsulas,  or  promontories,  or  continents  ; 
though  these  are  matters,  I  dare  say,  of  which  you  know 
little  or  nothing.  But  islands  or  no  islands,  what  is  the  ob- 
ject of  the  cruise,  Master  Pathfinder  ?  " 

"Why,  as  you  are  the  sergeant's  brother,  and  pretty  Ma- 
bel, here,  is  his  da'hter,  and  we  are  all  to  be  of  the  party 
there  can  be  no  harm  in  giving  you  some  idea  of  what  we 
are  going  to  do.  Being  so  old  a  sailor,  Master  Cap,  you  've 
heard,  no  doubt,  of  such  a  port  as  Frontenac?" 

"  Who  has  n't  ?  I  will  not  say  I  've  ever  been  inside  the 
harbor,  but  I  've  frequently  been  off  the  place." 


i88  Ube  patbfin&er 


' '  Then  you  are  about  to  go  upon  ground  with  which  you 
are  acquainted,  though  how  you  could  ever  have  got  there 
from  the  ocean,  I  do  not  understand.  These  Great  Lakes, 
you  must  know,  make  a  chain,  the  water  passing  out  of  one 
into  the  other,  until  it  reaches  Erie,  which  is  a  sheet  off  here 
to  the  westward,  as  large  as  Ontario  itself.  Well,  out  of  Erie 
the  water  comes,  until  it  reaches  a  low  mountain  like,  over 
the  edge  of  which  it  passes — ' 

' '  I  should  like  to  know  how  the  devil  it  can  do  that  ?  ' ' 

"Why,  easy  enough,  Master  Cap,"  returned  Pathfinder, 
laughing,  "  seeing  that  it  has  only  to  fall  down  hill.  Had  I 
said  the  water  went  up  the  mountain,  there  would  have  been 
natur'  ag'in  it ;  but  we  hold  it  no  matter  for  water  to  run 
down  hill — that  is,  fresh  water." 

"Ay,  ay ;  but  you  speak  of  the  water  of  a  lake  coming 
down  the  side  of  a  mountain ;  it  's  in  the  teeth  of  reason, 
if  reason  has  any  teeth." 

' '  Well,  well ;  we  will  not  dispute  the  point ;  but  what 
I  've  seen  I  've  seen  :  as  for  reason's  having  any  teeth,  I  '11 
say  nothing ;  but  conscience  has,  and  sharp  ones  too.  After 
getting  into  Ontario,  all  the  water  of  all  the  lakes  passes 
down  into  the  sea  by  a  river ;  and  in  the  narrow  part  of 
the  sheet,  where  it  is  neither  river  nor  lake,  lie  the  islands 
spoken  of.  Now,  Frontenac  is  a  post  of  the  Frenchers  above 
these  same  islands  ;  and  as  they  hold  the  garrison  below, 
their  stores  and  ammunition  are  sent  up  the  river  to  Frontenac, 
to  be  forwarded  along  the  shores  of  this  and  the  other  lakes, 
in  order  to  enable  the  enemy  to  play  his  deviltries  among 
the  savages,  and  to  take  Christian  scalps. ' ' 

"  And  will  our  presence  prevent  these  horrible  acts?  "  de- 
manded Mabel,  with  interest. 

' '  It  may,  or  it  may  not,  as  Providence  wills.  Lundie,  as 
they  call  him,  he  who  commands  this  garrison,  sent  a  party 
down  to  take  a  station  among  the  islands,  to  cut  off  some 
of  the  French  boats  ;  and  this  expedition  of  ours  will  be  the 
second  relief.  As  yet  they  've  not  done  much,  though  two 
batteaux  loaded  with  Indian  goods  have  been  taken  ;  but  a 
runner  came  in  last  week,  and  brought  such  tidings  that  the 
major  is  about  to  make  a  last  effort  to  sarcumvent  the  knaves. 


TTbe  iPatbfinfcer  189 


Jasper  knows  the  way,  and  we  shall  be  in  good  hands,  for  the 
sergeant  is  prudent,  and  of  the  first  quality  at  an  ambush- 
ment — yes,  he  is  both  prudent  and  alert." 

"  Is  this  all  ?  "  said  Cap,  contemptuously  ;  "  by  the  prepa- 
rations and  equipments,  I  had  thought  there  was  a  forced 
trade  in  the  wind,  and  that  an  honest  penny  might  be  turned, 
by  taking  an  adventure.  I  suppose  there  are  no  shares  in 
your  fresh-water  prize-money  ?  ' ' 

"  Anan?" 

' '  I  take  it  for  granted  the  king  gets  all  in  these  sogering 
parties  and  ambushments,  as  you  call  them  ? ' ' 

"  I  know  nothing  about  that,  Master  Cap.  I  take  my 
share  of  the  lead  and  powder,  if  any  falls  into  our  hands,  and 
say  nothing  to  the  king  about  it.  If  any  one  fares  better,  it 
is  not  I ;  though  it  is  time  I  did  begin  to  think  of  a  house 
and  furniture,  and  a  home. ' ' 

Although  the  Pathfinder  did  not  dare  to  look  at  Mabel 
while  he  made  this  direct  allusion  to  his  change  of  life,  he 
would  have  given  the  world  to  know  whether  she  were 
listening,  and  what  was  the  expression  of  her  countenance. 
Mabel  little  suspected  the  nature  of  the  allusion,  however ; 
and  her  countenance  was  perfectly  unembarrassed,  as  she 
turned  her  eyes  towards  the  river,  where  the  appearance  of 
some  movement  on  board  the  Scud  began  to  be  visible. 

"Jasper  is  bringing  the  cutter  out,"  observed  the  guide, 
whose  look  was  drawn  in  the  same  direction,  by  the  fall  of 
some  heavy  article  on  the  deck.  "The  lad  sees  the  signs 
of  wind,  no  doubt,  and  wishes  to  be  ready  for  it." 

' '  Ay,  and  now  we  shall  have  an  opportunity  of  learning 
seamanship,"  returned  Cap,  with  a  sneer.  "There  is  a 
nicety  in  getting  a  craft  under  her  canvas,  that  shows  the 
thorough-bred  mariner  as  much  as  anything  else.  It  's  like 
a  soger  buttoning  his  coat,  and  one  can  see  whether  he  begins 
at  the  top  or  the  bottom." 

' '  I  will  not  say  that  Jasper  is  equal  to  your  seafarers  be- 
low," observed  Pathfinder,  across  whose  upright  mind  an 
unworthy  feeling  of  envy  or  jealousy  never  passed  ;  ' '  but  he 
is  a  bold  boy,  and  manages  his  cutter  as  skilfully  as  any 
man  can  desire,  on  this  lake  at  least.  You  did  n't  find  him 


i9o  Ube  patbfinfcer 


backward  at  the  Oswego  Falls,  Master  Cap,  where  fresh 
water  contrives  to  tumble  down  hill  with  little  difficulty." 

Cap  made  no  other  answer  than  a  dissatisfied  ejaculation, 
and  then  a  general  silence  followed,  all  on  the  bastion  study- 
ing the  movements  of  the  cutter  with  the  interest  that  was 
natural  to  their  own  future  connection  with  the  vessel.  It 
was  still  a  dead  calm,  the  surface  of  the  lake  literally  glitter- 
ing with  the  last  rays  of  the  sun.  The  Scud  had  been 
warped  up  to  a  kedge  that  lay  a  hundred  yards  above  the 
points  of  the  outlet,  where  she  had  room  to  manoeuvre  in 
the  river,  which  then  formed  the  harbor  of  Oswego.  But 
the  total  want  of  air  prevented  any  such  attempt,  and  it 
was  soon  evident  that  the  light  vessel  was  to  be  taken 
through  the  passage  under  her  sweeps.  Not  a  sail  was 
loosened,  but  as  soon  as  the  kedge  was  tripped,  the  heavy 
fall  of  the  sweeps  was  heard,  when  the  cutter,  with  her 
head  up  stream,  began  to  sheer  towards  the  centre  of  the 
current ;  on  reaching  which,  the  efforts  of  the  men  ceased, 
and  she  drifted  towards  the  outlet.  In  the  narrow  pass 
itself,  her  movement  was  rapid,  and  in  less  than  five  minutes 
the  Scud  was  floating  outside  of  the  two  low  gravelly  points 
that  intercepted  the  waves  of  the  lake.  No  anchor  was  let 
go,  but  the  vessel  continued  to  set  off  from  the  land,  until 
her  dark  hull  was  seen  resting  on  the  glassy  surface  of  the 
lake,  fully  a  quarter  of  a  mile  beyond  the  low  bluff  which 
formed  the  eastern  extremity  of  what  might  be  called  the 
outer  harbor,  or  roadstead.  Here  the  influence  of  the  river 
current  ceased,  and  she  became  virtually  stationary. 

"She  seems  very  beautiful  to  me,  uncle,"  said  Mabel, 
whose  gaze  had  not  been  averted  from  the  cutter  for  a 
•single  moment,  while  it  had  been  thus  changing  its  position  ; 
"  I  dare  say  you  can  find  faults  in  her  appearance,  and  in 
the  way  she  is  managed ;  but  to  my  ignorance  both  are 
perfect!" 

"  Ay — ay  ;  she  drops  down  with  the  current  well  enough, 
girl,  and  so  would  a  chip.  But  when  you  come  to  niceties, 
an  old  tar  like  myself  has  no  need  of  spectacles,  to  find  fault. ' ' 

"Well,  Master  Cap,"  put  in  the  guide,  who  seldom 
heard  anything  to  Jasper's  prejudice  without  manifesting  a 


patbffnfcer  191 


disposition  to  interfere,  "I've  heard  old  and  experienced 
salt-water  mariners  confess,  that  the  Scud  is  as  pretty  a 
craft  as  floats.  I  know  nothing  of  such  matters  myself,  but 
one  may  have  his  own  notions  about  a  ship,  even  though  they 
be  wrong  notions ;  and  it  would  take  more  than  one  witness 
to  persuade  me  Jasper  does  not  keep  his  boat  in  good  order." 

"  I  do  not  say  the  cutter  is  downright  lubberly,  Master 
Pathfinder  ;  but  she  has  faults,  and  great  faults." 

' '  And  what  are  they,  uncle  ?  if  he  knew  them,  Jasper 
would  be  glad  to  mend  them." 

"What  are  they?  Why,  fifty;  ay,  for  that  matter,  a 
hundred.  Very  material  and  manifest  faults." 

"  Do  name  them,  sir,  and  Pathfinder  will  mention  them 
to  his  friend." 

' '  Name  them  ?  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  call  off  the  stars, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  they  are  so  numerous.  Name 
them,  indeed  !  Why  my  pretty  niece,  Miss  Magnet,  what 
do  you  think  of  that  main-boom  now  ?  To  my  ignorant 
eyes,  it  is  topped  at  least  a  foot  too  high ;  and  then  the 

pennant  is  foul;  and — and — ay,  d e,  if  there  isn't 

a  topsail  gasket  adrift ;  and  it  would  n't  surprise  me  at  all  if 
there  should  prove  to  be  a  round  turn  in  that  hawser,  if  the 
kedge  were  to  be  let  go  this  instant  !  Faults,  indeed  !  No 
seaman  could  look  at  her  a  moment,  without  seeing  that 
she  is  as  full  of  faults  as  a  servant  that  has  asked  for  his 
discharge. ' ' 

' '  This  may  be  very  true,  uncle,  though  I  much  question 
if  Jasper  knows  of  them.  I  do  not  think  he  would  suffer 
these  things,  Pathfinder,  if  they  were  pointed  out  to  him." 

"Let  Jasper  manage  his  own  cutter,  Mabel;  let  him 
manage  his  own  cutter.  His  gifts  lie  thataway,  and  I  '11 
answer  for  it,  no  one  can  teach  him  how  to  keep  the  Scud 
out  of  the  hands  of  the  Frontenackers,  or  their  devilish 
Mingo  friends.  Who  cares  for  round  turns  in  kedges,  and 
for  hawsers  that  are  topped  too  high,  Master  Cap,  so  long 
as  the  craft  sails  well,  and  keeps  clear  of  the  Frenchers? 
I  will  trust  Jasper  against  all  the  seafarers  of  the  coast  up 
here  on  the  lakes,  but  I  do  not  say  he  has  any  gift  for  the 
ocean,  for  there  he  has  never  been  tried." 


1 92  Ube  patbfinfcer 


Cap  smiled  condescendingly,  but  he  did  not  think  it 
necessary  to  push  his  criticisms  any  further  just  at  that 
moment.  His  air  and  manner  gradually  became  more 
supercilious  and  lofty,  though  he  now  wished  to  seem 
indifferent  to  any  discussions  on  points  of  which  one  of  the 
parties  was  entirely  ignorant.  By  this  time  the  cutter  had 
begun  to  drift  at  the  mercy  of  the  currents  of  the  lake,  her 
head  turning  in  all  directions,  though  slowly,  and  not  in  a 
way  to  attract  particular  attention.  Just  at  this  moment 
the  jib  was  loosened  and  hoisted,  and  presently  the  canvas 
swelled  towards  the  land,  though  no  evidences  of  air  were 
yet  to  be  seen  on  the  surface  of  the  water.  Slight,  how- 
ever, as  was  the  impulsion,  the  light  hull  yielded,  and  in 
another  minute  the  Scud  was  seen  standing  across  the 
current  of  the  river,  with  a  movement  so  easy  and  moderate 
as  to  be  scarcely  perceptible.  When  out  of  the  stream,  she 
struck  an  eddy,  and  shot  up  towards  the  land,  under  the 
eminence  where  the  fort  stood,  when  Jasper  dropped  his 
kedge. 

"Not  lubberly  done  !"  muttered  Cap,  in  a  sort  of  solil- 
oquy, "  not  over-lubberly,  though  he  should  have  put  his 
helm  a-starboard  instead  of  a-port,  for  the  vessel  ought 
always  to  come-to  with  her  head  off-shore,  whether  she  is  a 
league  from  the  land  or  only  a  cable's  length,  since  it  has  a 
careful  look  ;  and  looks  are  something  in  this  world." 

"Jasper  is  a  handy  lad,"  suddenly  observed  Sergeant 
Dunham  at  his  brother-in-law's  elbow;  "and  we  place 
great  reliance  on  his  skill  in  our  expeditions.  But  come, 
one  and  all ;  we  have  but  half  an  hour  more  of  daylight  to 
embark  in,  and  the  boats  will  be  ready  for  us  by  the  time 
we  are  ready  for  them. ' ' 

On  this  intimation  the  whole  party  separated,  each  to 
find  those  trifles  which  had  not  been  shipped  already.  A 
few  taps  of  the  drum  gave  the  necessary  signal  to  the  sol- 
diers, and  in  a  minute  all  were  in  motion. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

"  The  goblin  now  the  fool  alarms, 
Hags  meet  to  mumble  o'er  their  charms, 
The  night-mare  rides  the  dreaming  ass, 
And  fairies  trip  it  on  the  grass." 

COTTON. 

THE  embarkation  of  so  small  a  party  was  a  matter  of 
no    great  delay   or  embarrassment.     The  whole 
force  confided  to  the  care  of  Sergeant  Dunham 
consisted  of  but  ten  privates  and  two  non-commis- 
sioned officers  though  it  was  soon  positively  known  that  Mr. 
Muir  was  to  accompany  the  expedition.     The  quartermas- 
ter, however,  went  as  a  volunteer,  while  some  duty  connected 
with  his  own  department,  as  had  been  arranged  between  him 
and    his    commander,    was  the  avowed   object.     To  these 
must  be  added  the  Pathfinder  and  Cap,  with  Jasper  and  his 
subordinates,  one  of  whom  was  a  boy.     The  males  of  the 
entire  party,  consequently,  consisted  of  less  than  twenty  men, 
and  of  a  lad  of  fourteen.     Mabel  and  the  wife  of  a  common 
soldier  were  the  only  females. 

Sergeant  Dunham  carried  off  his  command  in  a  large 
batteau,  and  then  returned  for  his  final  orders,  and  to  see 
that  his  brother-in-law  and  daughter  were  properly  attended 
to.  Having  pointed  out  to  Cap  the  boat  that  he  and  Mabel 
were  to  use,  he  ascended  the  hill,  to  seek  his  last  interview 
with  lyundie.  The  major  was  on  the  bastion  so  often  men- 
tioned :  leaving  him  and  the  sergeant  together  for  a  short 
time,  we  will  return  to  the  beach. 

It  was  nearly  dark  when  Mabel  found  herself  in  the  boat 
that  was  to  carry  her  off  to  the  cutter.     So  very  smooth 
was  the  surface  of  the  lake,  that  it  was  not  found  necessary 
i93 


i94  ftbe  patbffn&ei' 


to  bring  the  batteaux  into  the  river  to  receive  their  freights, 
but  the  beach  outside  being  totally  without  surf,  and  the 
water  as  tranquil  as  that  of  a  pond,  everybody  embarked 
there.  As  Cap  had  said,  there  was  no  heaving  and  setting, 
no  working  of  vast  lungs,  nor  any  respiration  of  an  ocean  ; 
for,  on  Ontario,  unlike  the  Atlantic,  gales  were  not  agitating 
the  element  at  one  point,  while  calms  prevailed  at  another. 
This  the  distances  did  not  permit ;  and  it  is  the  usual  remark 
of  mariners,  that  the  sea  gets  up  faster  and  goes  down  sooner, 
on  all  the  great  lakes  of  the  west,  than  on  the  different  seas 
of  their  acquaintance.  When  the  boat  left  the  land,  there- 
fore, Mabel  would  not  have  known  that  she  was  afloat  on  so 
broad  a  sheet  of  water,  by  any  movement  that  is  usual  to 
such  circumstances.  The  oars  had  barely  time  to  give  a 
dozen  strokes,  when  the  boat  lay  at  the  cutter's  side. 

Jasper  was  in  readiness  to  receive  his  passengers,  and,  as 
the  deck  of  the  Scud  was  but  two  or  three  feet  above  the 
water,  no  difficulty  was  experienced  in  getting  on  board  her. 
As  soon  as  this  was  effected,  the  young  man  pointed  out  to 
Mabel  and  her  companion  the  accommodations  prepared  for 
their  reception,  and  they  took  possession  of  them.  The  lit- 
tle vessel  contained  four  apartments  below,  all  between 
decks  having  been  expressly  constructed  with  a  view  to  the 
transportation  of  officers  and  men,  with  their  wives  and 
families.  First  in  rank  was  what  was  called  the  after-cabin, 
a  small  apartment  that  contained  four  berths,  and  which 
enjoyed  the  advantage  of  possessing  small  windows,  for  the 
admission  of  air  and  light.  This  was  uniformly  devoted  to 
females,  whenever  any  were  on  board ;  and  as  Mabel  and 
her  companion  were  alone,  they  had  ample  space  and  ac- 
commodation. The  main  cabin  was  larger,  and  lighted  from 
above.  It  was  now  appropriated  to  the  uses  of  the  quarter- 
master, the  sergeant,  Cap,  and  Jasper;  the  Pathfinder 
roaming  through  any  part  of  the  cutter  he  pleased,  the 
female  apartment  excepted.  The  corporals  and  common 
soldiers  occupied  the  space  beneath  the  main  hatch,  which 
had  a  deck  for  such  a  purpose;  while  the  crew  were 
berthed,  as  usual,  in  the  forecastle.  Although  the  cutter 
did  not  measure  quite  fifty  tons,  the  draft  of  officers  and 


jpatbffn&er  195 


men  was  so  light,  that  there  was  ample  room  for  all  on 
board,  there  being  space  enough  to  accommodate  treble  the 
number,  if  necessary. 

As  soon  as  Mabel  had  taken  possession  of  her  own  really 
comfortable  and  pretty  cabin,  in  doing  which  she  could  not 
abstain  from  indulging  in  the  pleasant  reflection  that  some 
of  Jasper's  favor  had  been  especially  manifested  in  her 
behalf,  she  went  on  deck  again.  Here  all  was  momentarily 
in  motion  ;  the  men  were  roving  to  and  fro,  in  quest  of  their 
knapsacks  and  other  effects ;  but  method  and  habit  soon 
reduced  things  to  order,  when  the  stillness  on  board  became 
even  imposing,  for  it  was  connected  with  the  idea  of  future 
adventure,  and  ominous  preparation. 

Darkness  was  now  beginning  to  render  objects  on  shore 
indistinct,  the  whole  of  the  land  forming  one  shapeless  black 
outline,  of  even  forest  summits,  that  was  to  be  distinguished 
from  the  impending  heavens  only  by  the  greater  light  of 
the  sky.  The  stars,  however,  soon  began  to  appear  in  the 
latter,  one  after  another,  in  their  usual  mild,  placid  lustre, 
bringing  with  them  that  sense  of  quiet  which  ordinarily 
accompanies  night.  There  was  something  soothing  as  well 
as  exciting  in  such  a  scene  ;  and  Mabel,  who  was  seated  on 
the  quarter-deck,  sensibly  felt  both  influences.  The  Path- 
finder was  standing  near  her,  leaning,  as  usual,  on  his  long 
rifle,  and  she  fancied  that,  through  the  glowing  darkness 
of  the  hour,  she  could  trace  even  stronger  lines  of  thought 
than  usual,  in  his  rugged  countenance. 

' '  To  you,  Pathfinder,  expeditions  like  this  can  be  no 
great  novelty,"  she  said,  "though  I  am  surprised  to  find 
how  silent  and  thoughtful  the  men  appear  to  be. ' ' 

"We  1'arn  this,  by  making  war  agin  Injins.  Your 
militia  are  great  talkers,  and  little  doers,  in  gin'ral ;  but  the 
soger  who  has  often  met  the  Mingos,  1'arns  to  know  the 
value  of  a  prudent  tongue.  A  silent  army,  in  the  woods,  is 
doubly  strong  ;  and  a  noisy  one,  doubly  weak.  If  tongues 
made  sogers,  the  women  of  a  camp  would  gin' rally  carry 
the  day." 

"  But  we  are  neither  an  army,  nor  in  the  woods.  There 
can  be  no  danger  of  Mingos  in  the  Scud." 


196  Ube  patbffnfcer 


"Ask  Jasper  how  he  got  to  be  master  of  this  cutter,  and 
you  will  find  yourself  answered  as  to  that  opinion  !  No  one 
is  safe  from  a  Mingo  who  does  n't  understand  his  very  natur', 
and  even  then  he  must  act  up  to  his  own  knowledge,  and  that 
closely.  Ask  Jasper  how  he  got  command  of  this  very  cutter. ' ' 

' '  And  how  did  he  get  the  command  ?  ' '  inquired  Mabel, 
with  an  earnestness  and  interest  that  delighted  her  simple- 
minded  and  true-hearted  companion,  who  was  never  better 
pleased  than  when  he  had  an  opportunity  of  saying  aught  in 
favor  of  a  friend.  "It  is  honorable  to  him  that  he  has 
reached  this  station  while  yet  so  young. ' ' 

"  That  is  it ;  but  he  deserved  it  all,  and  more.  A  frigate 
would  n't  have  been  too  much  to  pay  for  so  much  spirit  and 
coolness,  had  there  been  such  a  thing  on  Ontario,  as  there  is 
not,  howsever,  or  likely  to  be. ' ' 

' '  But  Jasper — you  have  not  yet  told  me  how  he  got  the 
command  of  the  schooner  ?  " 

"  It  is  a  long  story,  Mabel,  and  one  your  father,  the  ser- 
geant, can  tell  much  better  than  I,  for  he  was  present,  while 
I  was  off  on  a  distant  scoutin' .  Jasper  is  not  good  at  a  story, 
I  will  own  that ;  I '  ve  heard  him  questioned  about  this  affair, 
and  he  never  made  a  good  tale  of  it,  although  everybody 
knows  it  was  a  good  thing.  No,  no  ;  Jasper  is  not  good  at 
a  story,  as  his  best  friends  must  own.  The  Scud  had  near 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  French  and  the  Mingos,  when 
Jasper  saved  her,  in  a  way  that  none  but  a  quick-witted 
mind  and  a  bold  heart  would  have  attempted.  The  ser- 
geant will  tell  the  tale  better  than  I  can,  and  I  wish  you  to 
question  him  some  day,  when  nothing  better  offers.  As  for 
Jasper  himself,  there  will  be  no  use  in  worrying  the  lad, 
since  he  will  make  a  bungling  matter  of  it,  for  he  don't  know 
how  to  give  a  history  at  all." 

Mabel  determined  to  ask  her  father  to  repeat  the  incidents 
of  the  affair  that  very  night,  for  it  struck  her  young  fancy 
that  nothing  better  could  well  offer  than  to  listen  to  the 
praises  of  one  who  was  a  bad  historian  of  his  own  exploits. 

Will  the  Scud  remain  with  us  when  we  reach  the  island  ?  ' ' 
she  asked,  after  a  little  hesitation  about  the  propriety  of  the 
question,  "or  shall  we  be  left  to  ourselves  ?  " 


tTbe  fltatbfinber  197 


"  That  's  as  may  be.  Jasper  does  not  often  keep  the  cutter 
idle,  when  anything  is  to  be  done,  and  we  may  expect  ac- 
tivity on  his  part.  My  gifts,  however,  run  so  little  towards 
the  water,  and  vessels  gin' rally,  unless  it  be  among  rapids 
and  falls,  and  in  canoes,  that  I  pretend  to  know  nothing 
about  it.  We  shall  have  all  right,  under  Jasper,  I  make  no 
doubt,  who  can  find  a  trail  on  Ontario  as  well  as  a  Delaware 
can  find  one  on  the  land." 

"And  our  own  Delaware,  Pathfinder — the  Big  Serpent — 
why  is  he  not  with  us  to-night  ?  ' ' 

"Your  question  would  have  been  more  nat'ral  had  you 
said,  why  are  you  here,  Pathfinder  ?  The  Sarpent  is  in  his 
place,  while  I  am  not  in  mine.  He  is  out  with  two  or  three 
more  scouting  the  lake  shores,  and  will  join  us  down  among 
the  islands  with  the  tidings  he  may  gather.  The  sergeant 
is  too  good  a  soldier  to  forget  his  rear,  while  he  is  facing  the 
enemy  in  front !  It  's  a  thousand  pities,  Mabel,  your  father 
was  n't  born  a  gin'ral,  as  some  of  the  English  are  who  come 
among  us,  for  I  feel  sartain  he  would  n't  leave  a  Frencher  in 
the  Canadas  a  week  could  he  have  his  own  way  with  them." 

' '  Shall  we  have  enemies  to  face  in  front  ?  ' '  asked  Mabel, 
smiling,  and  for  the  first  time  feeling  a  slight  apprehension 
about  the  dangers  of  the  expedition.  "Are  we  likely  to 
have  an  engagement  ?  ' ' 

"  If  we  have,  Mabel,  there  will  be  men  enough  ready  and 
willing  to  stand  atween  you  and  harm.  But  you  are  a  sol- 
dier's daughter,  and  we  all  know  have  the  spirit  of  one. 
Don't  let  the  fear  of  a  battle  keep  your  pretty  eyes  from 
sleeping. ' ' 

"  I  do  feel  braver  out  here  in  the  woods,  Pathfinder,  than 
I  ever  felt  before,  amid  the  weaknesses  of  the  towns,  although 
I  have  always  tried  to  remember  what  I  owe  to  my  dear 
father." 

' '  Ay,  your  mother  was  so  before  you  !  '  You  will  find 
Mabel  like  her  mother,  no  screamer,  or  a  faint-hearted  girl 
to  trouble  a  man  in  his  need,  but  one  who  would  encourage 
her  mate,  and  help  to  keep  his  heart  up  when  sorest  pressed 
by  danger ' — said  the  sergeant  to  me,  before  I  ever  laid  eyes 
on  that  sweet  countenance  of  yours — he  did  !  " 


i9s  Ube  patbfinber 


"And  why  should  my  father  have  told  you  this,  Path- 
finder?" the  girl  demanded,  a  little  earnestly.  "Perhaps 
he  fancied  you  would  think  the  better  of  me,  if  you  did  not 
believe  me  a  silly  coward,  as  so  many  of  my  sex  love  to 
make  themselves  appear." 

Deception,  unless  it  were  at  the  expense  of  his  enemies  in 
the  field, — nay,  concealment  of  even  a  thought,  was  so  little 
in  accordance  with  the  Pathfinder's  very  nature,  that  he 
was  not  a  little  embarrassed  by  this  simple  question.  To 
own  the  truth  openly,  he  felt,  by  a  sort  of  instinct,  for  which 
it  would  have  puzzled  him  to  account,  would  not  be  proper  ; 
and  to  hide  it,  agreed  with  neither  his  sense  of  right  nor  his 
habits.  In  such  a  strait  he  involuntarily  took  refuge  in  the 
middle  course,  not  revealing  that  which  he  fancied  ought 
not  to  be  told,  nor  yet  absolutely  concealing  it. 

"You  must  know,  Mabel,"  he  said,  "that  the  sergeant 
and  I  are  old  friends,  and  have  stood  side  by  side — or  if  not 
actually  side  by  side,  I  a  little  in  advance,  as  became  a  scout, 
and  your  father,  with  his  own  men,  as  better  suited  a  soldier 
of  the  king — on  many  a  hard-fought  and  bloody  day.  It  's 
the  way  of  us  skirmishers  to  think  little  of  the  fight,  when 
the  rifle  has  done  cracking  ;  and  at  night,  around  our  fires, 
or  on  our  marches,  we  talk  of  the  things  we  love,  just  as 
you  young  women  convarse  about  your  fancies  and  opinions, 
when  you  get  together  to  laugh  over  your  idees.  Now  it 
was  natural  that  the  sergeant,  having  such  a  daughter  as 
you,  should  love  her  better  than  anything  else,  and  that  he 
should  talk  of  her  oftener  than  of  anything  else, — while  I, 
having  neither  daughter,  nor  sister,  nor  mother,  nor  kith  nor 
kin,  nor  anything  but  the  Delawares  to  love,  I  naturally 
chimed  in,  as  it  were,  and  got  to  love  you,  Mabel,  before  I 
ever  saw  you — yes,  I  did— just  by  talking  about  you  so 
much." 

"  And  now  you  have  seen  me,"  returned  the  smiling  girl, 
whose  unmoved  and  natural  manner  proved  how  little  she 
was  thinking  of  anything  more  than  parental  or  fraternal 
regard,  "you  are  beginning  to  see  the  folly  of  forming 
friendships  for  people  before  you  know  anything  about  them, 
except  by  hearsay." 


i99 


"  It  was  n't  friendship — it  is  n't  friendship,  Mabel,  that  I 
feel  for  you.  I  am  the  friend  of  the  Dela wares,  and  have 
been  so  from  boyhood  ;  but  my  feelings  for  them,  or  for  the 
best  of  them,  are  not  the  same  as  them  I  got  from  the  ser- 
geant for  you  ;  and  especially  now  that  I  begin  to  know  you 
better.  I'm  sometimes  afeard  it  isn't  wholesome  for  one 
who  is  much  occupied  in  a  very  manly  calling,  like  that 
of  a  guide,  or  a  scout,  or  a  soldier  even,  to  form  friendships 
for  women, — young  women  in  particular, — as  they  seem  to 
me  to  lessen  the  love  of  enterprise,  and  to  turn  the  feelings 
away  from  their  gifts  and  natural  occupations.  ' ' 

' '  You  surely  do  not  mean,  Pathfinder,  that  a  friendship 
for  a  girl  like  me  would  make  you  less  bold,  and  more  un- 
willing to  meet  the  French,  than  you  were  before?  " 

"Not  so — not  so.  With  you  in  danger,  for  instance,  I 
fear  I  might  become  foolhardy  ;  but  before  we  became  so 
intimate,  as  I  may  say,  I  loved  to  think  of  my  scoutin's, 
and  of  my  marches,  and  outlyings,  and  fights,  and  other 
adventures ;  but  now  my  mind  cares  less  about  them ;  I 
think  more  of  the  barracks  and  of  evenings  passed  in  dis- 
course, of  feelings  in  which  there  are  no  wranglings  and 
bloodshed,  and  of  young  women,  and  of  their  laughs,  and 
their  cheerful  soft  voices,  their  pleasant  looks,  and  their 
winning  ways  !  I  sometimes  tell  the  sergeant,  that  he  and 
his  daughter  will  be  the  spoiling  of  one  of  the  best  and  most 
experienced  scouts  on  the  lines  ! ' ' 

"  Not  they,  Pathfinder  ;  they  will  try  to  make  that  which 
is  already  so  excellent,  perfect.  You  do  not  know  us,  if  you 
think  that  either  wishes  to  see  you  in  the  least  changed.  Re-" 
main,  as  at  present,  the  same  honest,  upright,  conscientious, 
fearless,  intelligent,  trustworthy  guide,  that  you  are,  and 
neither  my  dear  father  nor  myself  can  ever  think  of  you 
differently  from  what  we  now  do. ' ' 

It  was  too  dark  for  Mabel  to  note  the  workings  of  the 
countenance  of  her  listener,  but  her  own  sweet  face  was 
turned  towards  him,  as  she  spoke  with  an  energy  equal  to 
her  frankness,  in  a  way  to  show  how  little  embarrassed  were 
her  thoughts,  and  how  sincere  were  her  words.  Her  coun- 
tenance was  a  little  flushed,  it  is  true,  but  it  was  with  ear- 


patbffnfcec 


nestness  and  truth  of  feeling  ;  though  no  ^  nerve  thrilled,  no 
limb  trembled,  no  pulsation  quickened.  In  short,  her  man- 
ner and  appearance  were  those  of  a  sincere-minded  and 
frank  girl,  making  such  a  declaration  of  good-will  and  re- 
gard for  one  of  the  other  sex,  as  she  felt  that  his  services 
and  good  qualities  merited,  without  any  of  the  emotion  that 
invariably  accompanies  the  consciousness  of  an  inclination 
which  might  lead  to  softer  disclosures. 

The  Pathfinder  was  too  unpractised,  however,  to  enter  into 
distinctions  of  this  kind,  and  his  humble  nature  was  en- 
couraged by  the  directness  and  strength  of  the  words  he  had 
just  heard.  Unwilling,  if  not  unable  to  say  any  more,  he 
walked  away,  and  stood  leaning  on  his  rifle,  and  looking  up 
at  the  stars,  for  quite  ten  minutes,  in  profound  silence. 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  interview  on  the  bastion,  to  which 
we  have  already  alluded,  took  place  between  L/undie  and 
the  sergeant. 

"  Have  the  men's  knapsacks  been  examined?  "  demanded 
Major  Duncan,  after  he  had  cast  his  eye  at  a  written  report, 
handed  to  him  by  the  sergeant,  but  which  it  was  too  dark 
to  read. 

"  All,  your  honor  ;  and  all  are  right." 

"  The  ammunition  —  arms  ?  " 

"  All  in  order,  Major  Duncan,  and  fit  for  any  service.  " 

'  '  You  have  the  men  named  in  my  own  draft,  Dun- 
ham ?  '  ' 

"Without  an  exception,  sir.  Better  men  could  not  be 
found  in  the  regiment.  " 

"  You  have  need  of  the  best  of  our  men,  sergeant.  This 
experiment  has  now  been  tried  three  times  ;  always  under 
one  of  the  ensigns,  who  have  flattered  me  with  success,  but 
have  as  often  failed.  After  so  much  preparation  and  ex- 
pense, I  do  not  like  to  abandon  the  project  entirely,  but 
this  will  be  the  last  effort  :  and  the  result  will  mainly  depend 
on  you  and  on  the  Pathfinder." 

"You  may  count  on  us  both,  Major  Duncan.  The  duty 
you  have  given  us  is  not  above  our  habits  and  experience, 
and  I  think  it  will  be  well  done.  I  know  that  the  Pathfinder 
will  not  be  wanting.  '  ' 


patbffnfcer 


"  On  that,  indeed,  it  will  be  safe  to  rely.  He  is  a  most 
extraordinary  man,  Dunham  —  one  who  long  puzzled  me  ; 
but  who,  now  that  I  understand  him,  commands  as  much  of 
my  respect  as  any  general  in  his  majesty's  service." 

'  '  I  was  in  hopes,  sir,  that  you  would  come  to  look  at  the 
proposed  marriage  with  Mabel,  as  a  thing  I  ought  to  wish 
and  forward.  " 

'  '  As  for  that,  sergeant,  time  will  show,  '  '  returned  L,undie, 
smiling,  though  here,  too,  the  obscurity  concealed  the  nicer 
shades  of  expression  ;  '  '  one  woman  is  sometimes  more 
difficult  to  manage  than  a  whole  regiment  of  men.  By  the 
way,  you  know  that  your  would-be  son-in-law,  the  quarter- 
master, will  be  of  the  party  ;  and  I  trust  you  will  at  least  give 
him  an  equal  chance  in  the  trial  for  your  daughter's  smiles." 

"  If  respect  for  his  rank,  sir,  did  not  cause  me  to  do  this, 
your  honor's  wish  would  be  sufficient." 

"I  thank  you,  sergeant.  We  have  served  much  to- 
gether, and  ought  to  value  each  other  in  our  several  sta- 
tions. Understand  me,  however  :  I  ask  no  more  for  Davy 
Muir  than  a  clear  field  and  no  favor.  In  love,  as  in  war, 
each  man  must  gain  his  own  victories.  Are  you  certain 
that  the  rations  have  been  properly  calculated  ?  '  ' 

"  I  '11  answer  for  it,  Major  Duncan  ;  but  if  they  were  not, 
we  cannot  suffer  with  two  such  hunters  as  Pathfinder  and 
the  Serpent  in  company.  " 

"That  will  never  do,  Dunham,"  interrupted  Lundie, 
sharply,  '  '  and  it  comes  of  your  American  birth  and  Ameri- 
can training  !  No  thorough  soldier  ever  relies  on  anything 
but  his  commissary  for  supplies  ;  and  I  beg  no  part  of  my 
regiment  may  be  the  first  to  set  an  example  to  the  contrary." 

"You  have  only  to  command,  Major  Duncan,  to  be 
obeyed  ;  and  yet,  if  I  might  presume,  sir  — 

"Speak  freely,  sergeant,  you  are  talking  with  a  friend.  " 

"  I  was  merely  about  to  say,  that  I  find  even  the  Scotch 
soldiers  like  venison  and  birds  quite  as  well  as  pork,  when 
they  are  difficult  to  be  had." 

"That  may  be  very  true;  but  likes  and  dislikes  have 
nothing  to  do  with  system.  An  army  can  rely  on  nothing 
but  its  commissaries.  The  irregularity  of  the  provincials 


patbfinfcer 


has  played  the  devil  with  the  king's  service  too  long  to  be 
winked  at  any  longer." 

'  '  General  Braddock,  your  honor,  might  have  been  ad- 
vised by  Colonel  Washington.  '  ' 

"  Out  upon  your  Washington  !  You're  all  provincials 
together,  man,  and  uphold  each  other  as  if  you  were  of  a 
sworn  confederacy." 

"  I  believe  his  majesty  has  no  more  loyal  subjects  than 
the  Americans,  your  honor.  '  ' 

"In  that,  Dunham,  I'm  thinking  you're  right;  and  I 
have  been  a  little  too  warm,  perhaps.  I  do  not  consider  you 
a  provincial,  however,  sergeant  ;  for,  though  born  in  America, 
a  better  soldier  never  shouldered  a  musket.  '  ' 

"And  Colonel  Washington,  your  honor?  " 

"  Well  ;  and  Colonel  Washington  may  be  a  useful  subject, 
too.  He  is  the  American  prodigy  ;  and  I  suppose  I  may  as 
well  give  him  all  the  credit  you  ask.  You  have  no  doubt  of 
the  skill  of  this  Jasper  Eau-douce  ?  '  ' 

'  '  The  boy  has  been  tried,  sir  ;  and  found  equal  to  all  that 
can  be  required  of  him." 

'  '  He  has  a  French  name,  and  has  passed  much  of  his 
boyhood  in  the  French  colonies  :  has  he  French  blood  in  his 
veins,  sergeant  ?  '  ' 

"Not  a  drop,  your  honor.  Jasper's  father  was  an  old 
comrade  of  my  own,  and  his  mother  came  of  an  honest  and 
loyal  family,  in  this  very  province.  '  ' 

How  came  he  then  so  much  among  the  French,  and 
whence  his  name  ?  He  speaks  the  language  of  the  Canadas, 
too,  I  find!  " 

"  That  is  easily  explained,  Major  Duncan.  The  boy  was 
left  under  the  care  of  one  of  our  mariners  in  the  old  war,  and 
he  took  to  the  water  like  a  duck.  Your  honor  knows  that 
we  have  no  ports  on  Ontario,  that  can  be  named  as  such, 
and  he  naturally  passed  most  of  his  time  on  the  other  side  of 
the  lake,  where  the  French  have  had  a  few  vessels  these 
fifty  years.  He  learned  to  speak  their  language,  as  a  matter 
of  course,  and  got  his  name  from  the  Indians  and  Canadians, 
who  are  fond  of  calling  men  by  their  qualities,  as  it 
might  be." 


Ube  jpatbfinfcer  203 


"  A  French  master  is  but  a  poor  instructor  for  a  British 
sailor,  notwithstanding  !  " 

"I beg  your  pardon,  sir;  Jasper  Eau-douce  was  brought 
up  under  a  real  English  seaman  ;  one  that  had  sailed  under 
the  king's  pennant,  and  may  be  called  a  thorough-bred : 
that  is  to  say,  a  subject  born  in  the  colonies,  but  none  the 
worse  at  his  trade,  I  hope,  Major  Duncan,  for  that." 

1 '  Perhaps  not,  sergeant ;  perhaps  not ;  nor  any  better. 
This  Jasper  behaved  well,  too,  when  I  gave  him  the  com- 
mand of  the  Scud  ;  no  lad  could  have  conducted  himself 
more  loyally,  or  better. ' ' 

"Or  more  bravely,  Major  Duncan.  I  am  sorry  to  see, 
sir,  that  you  have  doubts  as  to  the  fidelity  of  Jasper." 

"  It  is  the  duty  of  the  soldier  who  is  intrusted  with  the 
care  of  a  distant  and  important  post  like  this,  Dunham, 
never  to  relax  in  his  vigilance.  We  have  two  of  the  most 
artful  enemies  that  the  world  has  ever  produced,  in  their 
several  ways,  to  contend  with — the  Indians  and  the  French  ; 
and  nothing  should  be  overlooked  that  can  lead  to  injury." 

' '  I  hope  your  honor  considers  me  fit  to  be  intrusted  with 
any  particular  reason  that  may  exist  for  doubting  Jasper, 
since  you  have  seen  fit  to  intrust  me  with  this  command. ' ' 

"  It  is  not  that  I  doubt  you,  Dunham,  that  I  hesitate  to 
reveal  all  I  may  happen  to  know,  but  from  a  strong  re- 
luctance to  circulate  an  evil  report  concerning  one  of  whom 
I  have  hitherto  thought  well.  You  must  think  well  of  the 
Pathfinder,  or  you  would  not  wish  to  give  him  your 
daughter  ? ' ' 

"For  the  Pathfinder's  honesty,  I  will  answer  with  my 
life,  sir,"  returned  the  sergeant,  firmly,  and  not  without  a 
dignity  of  manner  that  struck  his  superior.  ' '  Such  a  man 
does  n't  know  how  to  be  false." 

"  I  believe  you  are  right,  Dunham,  and  yet  this  last  infor- 
mation has  unsettled  all  my  old  opinions.  I  have  received 
an  anonymous  communication,  sergeant,  advising  me  to  be 
on  my  guard  against  Jasper  Western,  or  Jasper  Eau-douce, 
as  he  is  called  ;  who,  it  alleges,  has  been  bought  by  the 
enemy,  and  giving  me  reason  to  expect  that  further  and 
more  precise  information  will  soon  be  sent. ' ' 


204 


"  Letters  without  signatures  to  them,  sir,  are  scarcely  to 
be  regarded  in  war." 

"Or  in  peace,  Dunham.  No  one  can  entertain  a  lower 
opinion  of  the  writer  of  an  anonymous  letter,  in  ordinary 
matters,  than  myself.  The  very  act  denotes  cowardice, 
meanness,  and  baseness  ;  and  it  usually  is  a  token  of  false- 
hood, as  well  as  of  other  vices.  But,  in  matters  of  war,  it  is 
not  exactly  the  same  thing.  Besides,  several  suspicious  cir- 
cumstances have  been  pointed  out  to  me — ' ' 

' '  Such  as  is  fit  for  an  orderly  to  hear,  your  honor  ? ' ' 

' '  Certainly,  one  in  whom  I  confide  as  much  as  in  yourself, 
Dunham.  It  is  said,  for  instance,  that  your  daughter  and 
her  party  were  permitted  to  escape  the  Iroquois,  when  they 
came  in,  merely  to  give  Jasper  credit  with  me.  I  am  told 
that  the  gentry  at  Frontenac  will  care  more  for  the  capture 
of  the  Scud,  with  Sergeant  Dunham  and  a  party  of  men, 
together  with  the  defeat  of  our  favorite  plan,  than  for  the 
capture  of  a  girl,  and  the  scalp  of  her  uncle." 

' '  I  understand  the  hint,  sir,  but  I  do  not  give  it  credit. 
Jasper  can  hardly  be  true,  and  Pathfinder  false  ;  and  as  for  the 
last,  I  would  as  soon  distrust  your  honor,  as  distrust  him  ! ' ' 

' '  It  would  seem  so,  sergeant ;  it  would  indeed  seem  so. 
But  Jasper  is  not  the  Pathfinder  after  all,  and  I  will  own, 
Dunham,  I  should  put  more  faith  in  the  lad,  if  he  didn't 
speak  French  ! ' ' 

"It's  no  recommendation  in  my  eyes,  I  assure  your 
honor  ;  but  the  boy  learned  it  by  compulsion,  as  it  were,  and 
ought  not  to  be  condemned  too  hastily,  for  the  circum- 
stance, by  your  honor's  leave.  If  he  does  speak  French, 
it 's  because  he  can't  well  help  it." 

"It's  a  d d  lingo,  and  never  did  any  one  good — at 

least,  no  British  subject ;  for  I  suppose  the  French  themselves 
must  talk  together  in  some  language  or  other.  I  should 
have  much  more  faith  in  this  Jasper  did  he  know  nothing  of 
their  language.  This  letter  has  made  me  uneasy  ;  and, 
were  there  another  to  whom  I  could  trust  the  cutter,  I 
would  devise  some  means  to  detain  him  here.  I  have  spoken 
to  you  already  of  a  brother-in-law  who  goes  with  you,  ser- 
geant, and  who  is  a  sailor?  " 


ZTbe  jpatbfinfcer  205 


"A  real  seafaring  man,  your  honor,  and  somewhat  preju- 
diced against  fresh  water.  I  doubt  if  he  could  be  induced 
to  risk  his  character  on  a  lake,  and  I  'm  certain  he  never 
could  find  the  station. ' ' 

' '  The  last  is  probably  true,  and  then  the  man  cannot 
know  enough  of  this  treacherous  lake  to  be  fit  for  the  em- 
ployment !  You  will  have  to  be  doubly  vigilant,  Dunham. 
I  give  you  full  powers,  and  should  you  detect  this  Jasper 
in  any  treachery,  make  him  a  sacrifice  at  once  to  offended 
justice." 

' '  Being  in  the  service  of  the  crown,  your  honor,  he  is 
amenable  to  martial  law — " 

"Very  true;  then  iron  him,  from  his  head  to  his  heels, 
and  send  him  up  here,  in  his  own  cutter.  That  brother-in- 
law  of  yours  must  be  able  to  find  the  way  back,  after  he  has 
once  travelled  the  road." 

"I  make  no  doubt,  Major  Duncan,  we  shall  be  able  to 
do  all  that  will  be  necessary,  should  Jasper  turn  out  as  you 
seem  to  anticipate  ;  though  I  think  I  would  risk  my  life  on 
his  truth." 

' '  I  like  your  confidence  ;  it  speaks  well  for  the  fellow ; 
but  that  infernal  letter !  There  is  such  an  air  of  truth 
about  it — nay,  there  is  so  much  truth  in  it,  touching  other 
matters — ' ' 

' '  I  think  your  honor  said  it  wanted  the  name  at  the  bot- 
tom ;  a  great  omission  for  an  honest  man  to  make." 

"Quite  right,  Dunham,  and  no  one  but  a  rascal,  and  a 
cowardly  rascal  into  the  bargain,  would  write  an  anony- 
mous letter,  on  private  affairs.  It  is  different,  however,  in 
war.  Despatches  are  feigned,  and  artifice  is  generally 
allowed  to  be  justifiable." 

"Military,  manly  artifices,  sir,  if  you  will ;  such  as  am- 
bushes, surprises,  feints,  false  attacks,  and  even  spies  ;  but  I 
never  heard  of  a  true  soldier  who  could  wish  to  undermine 
the  character  of  an  honest  young  man,  by  such  means  as 
these!" 

' '  I  have  met  with  many  strange  events,  and  some  stranger 
people,  in  the  course  of  my  experience.  But  fare-you-well, 
sergeant ;  I  must  detain  you  no  longer.  You  are  now  on 


206  Ube 


your  guard,  and  I  recommend  to  you  untiring  "vigilance.  I 
think  Muir  means  shortly  to  retire,  and  should  you  fully 
succeed  in  this  enterprise,  my  influence  will  not  be  wanting 
in  endeavoring  to  put  you  into  the  vacancy,  to  which  you 
have  many  claims  !  " 

' '  I  humbly  thank  your  honor, ' '  coolly  returned  the  ser- 
geant, who  had  been  encouraged  in  this  manner,  any  time 
for  the  preceding  twenty  years,  ' '  and  hope  I  shall  never 
disgrace  my  station,  whatever  it  may  be.  I  am  what  nature 
and  Providence  have  made  me,  and  I  hope  I  'm  satisfied." 

"  You  have  not  forgotten  the  howitzer?  " 

"Jasper  took  it  on  board  this  morning,  sir." 

"Be  wary,  and  do  not  trust  that  man  unnecessarity. 
Make  a  confidant  of  Pathfinder  at  once  ;  he  may  be  of  ser- 
vice in  detecting  any  villainy  that  may  be  stirring.  His 
simple  honesty  will  favor  his  observation,  by  concealing  it. 
He  must  be  true." 

"For  him,  sir,  my  own  head  shall  answer,  or  even  my 
rank  in  the  regiment.  I  have  seen  him  too  often  tried  to 
doubt  him." 

"  Of  all  wretched  sensations,  Dunham,  distrust,  where 
one  is  compelled  to  confide,  is  the  most  painful.  You  have 
bethought  you  of  the  spare  flints  ? ' ' 

"A  sergeant  is  a  safe  commander  for  all  such  details, 
your  honor." 

"Well,  then,  give  me  your  hand,  Dunham.  God  bless 
you,  and  may  you  be  successful.  Muir  means  to  retire — 
by  the  way,  let  the  man  have  an  equal  chance  with  your 
daughter,  for  it  may  facilitate  future  operations  about  the 
promotion.  One  would  retire  more  cheerfully  with  such  a 
companion  as  Mabel,  than  in  cheerless  widowerhood,  and 
with  nothing  but  one's  self  to  love,  and  such  a  self,  too, 
as  Davy's  !" 

"I  hope,  sir,  my  child  will  make  a  prudent  choice,  and  I 
think  her  mind  is  already  pretty  much  made  up  in  favor  of 
Pathfinder.  Still,  she  shall  have  fair  play,  though  disobe- 
dience is  the  next  crime  to  mutiny." 

"Have  all  the  ammunition  carefully  examined  and  dried, 
as  soon  as  you  arrive  ;  the  damp  of  the  lake  may  affect  it ; 


patbfinfcer  207 


and  now,  once  more,  farewell,  sergeant.  Beware  of  that 
Jasper,  and  consult  with  Muir  in  any  difficulty.  I  shall 
expect  you  to  return  triumphant,  this  day  month." 

' '  God  bless  your  honor  !  if  anything  should  happen  to 
me,  I  trust  to  you,  Major  Duncan,  to  care  for  an  old  sol- 
dier's character." 

"  Rely  on  me,  Dunham  ;  you  will  rely  on  a  friend.  Be 
vigilant ;  remember  you  will  be  in  the  very  jaws  of  the  lion 
— pshaw  !  of  no  lion,  neither  ;  but  of  treacherous  tigers : 
in  their  very  jaws,  and  beyond  support.  Have  the  flints 
counted  and  examined  in  the  morning — and — farewell, 
Dunham,  farewell." 

The  sergeant  took  the  extended  hand  of  his  superior  with 
proper  respect,  and  they  finally  parted  ;  L,undie  hastening 
into  his  own  movable  abode,  while  the  other  left  the  fort, 
descended  to  the  beach,  and  got  into  a  boat. 

Duncan  of  L,undie  had  said  no  more  than  the  truth,  when 
he  spoke  of  the  painful  nature  of  distrust.  Of  all  the  feelings 
of  the  human  mind,  it  is  that  which  is  the  most  treacherous 
in  its  workings,  the  most  insidious  in  its  approaches,  and  the 
least  at  the  command  of  a  generous  temperament.  While 
doubt  exists,  everything  may  be  suspected,  the  thoughts 
having  no  definite  facts  to  set  bounds  to  their  wanderings  ; 
and  distrust  once  admitted,  it  is  impossible  to  say  to  what 
extent  conjecture  may  lead,  or  whither  credulity  may  follow. 
That  which  had  previously  seemed  innocent,  assumes  the 
hue  of  gilt,  as  soon  as  this  uneasy  tenant  has  taken  possession 
of  the  thoughts  ;  and  nothing  is  said  or  done,  without  being 
subjected  to  the  colorings  and  disfigurations  of  jealousy  and 
apprehension.  If  this  is  true  in  ordinary  affairs,  it  is  doubly 
true  when  any  heavy  responsibility,  involving  life  or  death, 
weighs  on  the  unsettled  mind  of  its  subject ;  as  in  the  case 
of  the  military  commander,  or  the  agent  in  the  management 
of  any  great  political  interest.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed, 
then,  that  Sergeant  Dunham,  after  he  had  parted  from  his 
commanding  officer,  was  likely  to  forget  the  injunctions  he 
had  received.  He  thought  highly  of  Jasper,  in  general ; 
but  distrust  had  been  insinuated  between  his  former  confi- 
dence and  the  obligations  of  duty  ;  and,  as  he  now  felt  that 


Ube 


everything  depended  on  his  own  vigilance,  by  the  time  the 
boat  reached  the  side  of  the  Scud,  he  was  in  a  proper  humor 
to  let  no  suspicious  circumstance  go  unheeded,  or  any  un- 
usual movement  in  the  young  sailor  pass  without  its  comment. 
As  a  matter  of  course,  he  viewed  things  in  the  light  suited 
to  his  peculiar  mood ;  and  his  precautions,  as  well  as  his 
distrust,  partook  of  the  habits,  opinions,  and  education  of 
the  man. 

The  Scud's  kedge  was  lifted  as  soon  as  the  boat,  with  the 
sergeant,  who  was  the  last  person  expected,  was  seen  to  quit 
the  shore,  and  the  head  of  the  cutter  was  cast  to  the  east- 
ward by  means  of  the  sweeps.  A  few  vigorous  strokes  of  the 
latter,  in  which  the  soldiers  aided,  sent  the  light  craft  into 
the  line  of  the  current  that  flowed  from  the  river,  when  she 
was  suffered  to  drift  into  the  offing  again.  As  yet,  there  was 
no  wind,  the  light  and  almost  imperceptible  air  from  the 
lake,  that  had  existed  previously  to  the  setting  of  the  sun, 
having  entirely  failed. 

All  this  time,  an  unusual  quiet  prevailed  in  the  cutter.  It 
appeared  as  if  those  on  board  of  her  felt  that  they  were  enter- 
ing upon  an  uncertain  enterprise,  in  the  obscurity  of  night ; 
and  that  their  duty,  the  hour,  and  the  manner  of  their  de- 
parture, lent  a  solemnity  to  their  movements.  Discipline 
also  came  in  aid  of  these  feelings.  Most  were  silent ;  and 
those  who  said  anything,  spoke  seldom  and  in  low  voices. 
In  this  manner,  the  cutter  set  slowly  out  into  the  lake,  until 
she  had  got  as  far  as  the  river  current  would  carry  her, 
when  she  became  stationary,  waiting  for  the  usual  land 
breeze.  An  interval  of  half  an  hour  followed,  during  the 
whole  of  which  time  the  Scud  lay  as  motionless  as  a  log, 
floating  on  the  water.  While  the  little  changes  just  men- 
tioned were  occurring  in  the  situation  of  the  vessel,  notwith- 
standing the  general  quiet  that  prevailed,  all  conversation 
had  not  been  repressed  ;  for  Sergeant  Dunham,  having  first 
ascertained  that  both  his  daughter  and  her  female  com- 
panion were  on  the  quarter-deck,  led  the  Pathfinder  to  the 
after-cabin,  where,  closing  the  door  with  great  caution,  and 
otherwise  making  certain  he  was  beyond  the  reach  of  eaves- 
droppers, he  commenced  as  follows  : — 


Ube 


209 


"It  is  now  many  years,  my  friend,  since  you  began  to 
experience  the  hardships  and  dangers  of  the  woods  in  my 
company." 

"  It  is,  sergeant ;  yes,  it  is.  I  sometimes  fear  I  am  too  old 
for  Mabel,  who  was  not  born  until  you  and  I  had  fou't  the 
Frenchers  as  comrades. ' ' 

' '  No  fear  on  that  account,  Pathfinder.  I  was  near  your 
age  before  I  prevailed  on  the  mind  of  her  mother  ;  and  Ma- 
bel is  a  steady,  thoughtful  girl,  one  that  will  regard  character 
more  than  anything  else.  A  lad  like  Jasper  Eau-douce,  for 
instance,  will  have  no  chance  with  her,  though  he  is  both 
young  and  comely." 

' '  Does  Jasper  think  of  marrying  ? ' '  inquired  the  guide, 
simply,  but  earnestly. 

' '  I  should  hope  not — at  least  not  until  he  has  satisfied 
every  one  of  his  fitness  to  possess  a  wife." 

' '  Jasper  is  a  gallant  boy,  and  one  of  great  gifts  in  his  way  ; 
he  may  claim  a  wife  as  well  as  another." 

"  To  be  frank  with  you,  Pathfinder,  I  brought  you  here  ta 
talk  about  this  very  youngster.  Major  Duncan  has  received 
some  information  which  has  led  him  to  suspect  that  Eau- 
douce  is  false,  and  in  the  pay  of  the  enemy  ;  I  wish  to  hear 
your  opinion  on  the  subject." 

' '  Anan  ! ' ' 

"I  say  the  major  suspects  Jasper  of  being  a  traitor — a 
French  spy — or,  what  is  worse,  of  being  bought  to  betray  us. 
He  has  received  a  letter  to  this  effect,  and  has  been  charging 
me  to  keep  an  eye  on  the  boy's  movements,  for  he  fears  we 
shall  meet  with  enemies  when  we  least  expect  it,  and  by  his 
means. ' ' 

"Duncan  of  Lundie  has  told  you  this,  Sergeant  Dun- 
ham ? ' ' 

"He  has,  indeed,  Pathfinder;  and  though  I  have  been 
loath  to  believe  anything  to  the  injury  of  Jasper,  I  have  a 
feeling  which  tells  me  I  ought  to  distrust  him.  Do  you  be- 
lieve in  presentiments,  my  friend  ?  ' ' 

"  In  what,  sergeant?  " 

"Presentiments — a  sort  of  secret  foreknowledge  of  events 
that  are  about  to  happen.  The  Scotch  of  our  regiment  are 


210  ftbe  jpatbfmfcer 

great  sticklers  for  such  things  ;  and  my  opinion  of  Jasper  is 
changing  so  fast  that  I  begin  to  fear  there  must  be  some  truth 
in  their  doctrines." 

"  But  you  've  been  talking  with  Duncan  of  Lundie  con- 
sarning  Jasper,  and  his  words  have  raised  misgivin's." 

"  Not  it — not  so  in  the  least.  For  while  conversing  with 
the  major,  my  feelings  were  altogether  the  other  way  ;  and 
I  endeavored  to  convince  him  all  I  could  that  he  did  the  boy 
injustice.  But  there  is  no  use  in  holding  out  against  a  pre- 
sentiment, I  find  ;  and  I  fear  there  is  something  in  the  sus- 
picion after  all." 

"  I  know  nothing  of  presentiments,  sergeant,  but  I  have 
known  Jasper  Eau-douce  since  he  was  a  boy,  and  I  have  as 
much  faith  in  his  honesty  as  I  have  in  my  own,  or  that  of 
the  Sarpent  himself. ' ' 

"  But  the  Serpent,  Pathfinder,  has  his  tricks  and  am- 
bushes in  war,  as  well  as  another  !  ' ' 

"  Ay,  them  are  his  nat'ral  gifts,  and  such  as  belong  to  his 
people.  Neither  redskin  nor  pale- face  can  deny  natur'  ; 
but  Chingachgook  is  not  a  man  to  feel  a  presentiment  agin." 

"That  I  believe  ;  nor  should  I  have  thought  ill  of  Jasper 
this  very  morning.  It  seems  to  me,  Pathfinder,  since  I  've 
taken  up  this  presentiment,  that  the  lad  does  not  bustle 
about  his  deck,  'naturally,  as  he  used  to  do  ;  but  that  he  is 
silent,  and  moody,  and  thoughtful,  like  a  man  who  has  a 
load  on  his  conscience." 

' '  Jasper  is  never  noisy,  and  he  tells  me  noisy  ships  are 
generally  ill-worked  ships.  Master  Cap  agrees  in  this,  too. 
No,  no ;  I  will  believe  naught  against  Jasper  until  I  see  it. 
Send  for  your  brother,  sergeant,  and  let  us  question  him  in 
this  matter  ;  for  to  sleep  with  distrust  of  one's  fri'nd  in  the 
heart,  is  like  sleeping  with  lead  there.  I  have  no  faith  in 
your  presentiments. ' ' 

The  sergeant,  although  he  scarce  knew,  himself,  with 
what  object,  complied,  and  Cap  was  summoned  to  join  in 
the  consultation.  As  Pathfinder  was  more  collected  than 
his  companion,  and  felt  so  strong  a  conviction  of  the  good 
faith  of  the  party  accused,  he  assumed  the  office  of  spokes- 
man. 


Ube 


211 


"We  have  asked  you  to  come  down,  Master  Cap,"  he 
commenced,  ' '  in  order  to  inquire  if  you  have  remarked  any 
thing  out  of  the  common  way,  in  the  movements  of  Eau- 
douce,  this  evening. ' ' 

"His  movements  are  common  enough,  I  dare  say,  for 
fresh  water,  Master  Pathfinder,  though  we  should  think 
most  of  his  proceedings  irregular,  down  on  the  coast." 

' '  Yes,  yes ;  we  know  you  will  never  agree  with  the  lad 
about  the  manner  the  cutter  ought  to  be  managed  ;  but  it 
is  on  another  p'int  we  wish  your  opinion." 

The  Pathfinder  then  explained  to  Cap  the  nature  of  the 
suspicions  which  the  sergeant  entertained,  and  the  reasons 
why  they  had  been  excited,  so  far  as  the  latter  had  been 
communicated  by  Major  Duncan. 

' '  The  youngster  talks  French,  does  he  ?  " 

' '  They  say  he  speaks  it  better  than  common, ' '  returned 
the  sergeant,  gravely.  "Pathfinder  knows  this  to  be 
true. ' ' 

"  I  '11  not  gainsay  it — I  '11  not  gainsay  it,"  answered  the 
guide,  "at  least  they  tell  me  such  is  the  fact.  But  this 
would  prove  nothing  agin  a  Mississagua,  and  least  of  all 
agin  one  like  Jasper.  I  speak  the  Mingo  dialect  myself, 
having  1'arnt  it  while  a  prisoner  among  the  riptyles ;  but 
who  shall  say  I  am  their  fri'nd  !  Not  that  I  am  an  inimy, 
either,  according  to  Injin  notions  ;  though  I  am  their  inimy, 
I  will  admit,  agreeable  to  Christianity." 

' '  Ay,  Pathfinder,  but  Jasper  did  not  get  his  French  as  a 
prisoner  :  he  took  it  in,  in  boyhood,  when  the  mind  is  easily 
impressed,  and  gets  its  permanent  notions  ;  when  nature  has 
a  presentiment,  as  it  were,  which  way  the  character  is  likely 
to  incline." 

"A  very  just  remark,"  added  Cap,  "  for  that  is  the  time 
of  life  when  we  all  learn  the  catechism,  and  other  moral  im- 
provements. The  sergeant's  observation  shows  that  he  un- 
derstands human  nature,  and  I  agree  with  him  perfectly  ;  it  is 
a  damnable  thing  for  a  youngster,  up  here  on  this  bit  of  fresh 
water,  to  talk  French.  If  it  were  down  on  the  Atlantic  now, 
where  a  seafaring  man  has  occasion  sometimes  to  converse 
with  a  pilot,  or  a  linguister,  in  that  language,  I  should  not 


212  Ube  patbffnfcer 

think  so  much  of  it,  though  we  always  look  with  suspicion, 
even  there,  at  a  shipmate  who  knows  too  much  of  the 
tongue ;  but  up  here  on  Ontario,  I  hold  it  to  be  a  most 
suspicious  circumstance. ' ' 

"But  Jasper  must  talk  in  French  to  the  people  on  the 
other  shore,"  said  Pathfinder,  "  or  hold  his  tongue,  as  there 
are  none  but  French  to  speak  to." 

"You  don't  mean  to  tell  me,  Pathfinder,  that  France  lies 
hereaway  on  the  opposite  coast?"  cried  Cap,  jerking  a 
thumb  over  his  shoulder,  in  the  direction  of  the  Canadas ; 
"  that  one  side  of  this  bit  of  fresh  water  is  York,  and  the 
other  France  !  " 

' '  I  mean  to  tell  you  this  is  York,  and  this  is  Upper  Can- 
ada ;  and  that  English  and  Dutch  and  Indian  are  spoken  in 
the  first,  and  French  and  Indian  in  the  last.  Even  the 
Mingos  have  got  many  of  the  French  words  in  their  dialect, 
and  it  is  no  improvement,  neither." 

' '  Very  true  ;  and  what  sort  of  people  are  the  Mingos,  my 
friend  ? ' '  inquired  the  sergeant,  touching  the  other  on  a  shoul- 
der, by  way  of  enforcing  a  remark,  the  inherent  truth  of 
which  sensibly  increased  its  value  in  the  eyes  of  the  speaker  ; 
"no  one  knows  them  better  than  yourself,  and  I  ask  you 
what  sort  of  a  tribe  are  they  ?  " 

"Jasper  is  no  Mingo,  sergeant." 

"  He  speaks  French,  and  he  might  as  well  be,  in  that  par- 
ticular. Brother  Cap,  can  you  recollect  no  movement  of 
this  unfortunate  young  man,  in  the  way  of  his  calling,  that 
would  seem  to  denote  treachery  ?  ' ' 

' '  Not  distinctly,  sergeant,  though  he  has  gone  to  work 
wrong  end  foremost,  half  his  time.  It  is  true  that  one  of  his 
hands  coiled  a  rope  against  the  sun,  and  he  called  it  curling 
a  rope,  too,  when  I  asked  him  what  he  was  about ;  but  I 
am  not  certain  that  anything  was  meant  by  it ;  though  I 
dare  say  the  French  coil  half  their  running  rigging  the 
wrong  way,  and  may  call  it  '  curling  it  down,'  too,  for  that 
matter.  Then  Jasper,  himself,  belayed  the  end  of  the  jib- 
halyards  to  a  stretcher  in  the  rigging,  instead  of  bringing 
them  in  to  the  mast,  where  they  belong,  at  least  among 
British  sailors." 


patbfinber  213 


"I  dare  say  Jasper  may  have  got  some  Canada  notions 
about  working  his  craft,  from  being  so  much  on  the  other 
side,"  Pathfinder  interposed,  "but  catching  an  idee  or  a 
word  is  n't  treachery  and  bad  faith.  I  sometimes  get  an 
idee  from  the  Mingos  themselves  ;  but  my  heart  has  always 
been  with  the  Delawares.  No,  no,  Jasper  is  true  ;  and 
the  king  might  trust  him  with  his  crown,  just  as  he  would 
trust  his  eldest  son,  who,  as  he  is  to  wear  it  one  day,  ought 
to  be  the  last  man  to  wish  to  steal  it. ' ' 

"Fine  talking — fine  talking,"  said  Cap,  rising  to  spit 
out  of  the  cabin-window,  as  is  customary  with  men  when 
they  most  feel  their  own  great  moral  strength  and  happen 
to  chew  tobacco,  "all  fine  talking,  Master  Pathfinder,  but 

d d  little  logic.  In  the  first  place,  the  king's  majesty 

cannot  lend  his  crown,  it  being  contrary  to  the  laws  of  the 
realm,  which  require  him  to  wear  it  at  all  times,  in  order 
that  his  sacred  person  may  be  known,  just  as  the  silver  oar 
is  necessary  to  a  sheriff's  officer  afloat.  In  the  next  place 
it 's  high  treason  by  law,  for  the  eldest  son  of  his  majesty 
ever  to  covet  the  crown  or  to  have  a  child,  except  in  lawful 
wedlock,  as  either  would  derange  the  succession.  Thus  you 
see,  friend  Pathfinder,  that  in  order  to  reason  truly,  one 
must  get  under  way,  as  it  might  be,  on  the  right  tack. 
I^aw  is  reason,  and  reason  is  philosophy,  and  philosophy  is  a 
steady  drag  ;  whence  it  follows  that  crowns  are  regulated  by 
law,  reason,  and  philosophy." 

"  I  know  little  of  all  this,  Master  Cap  ;  but  nothing  short 
of  seeing  and  feeling  will  make  me  think  Jasper  Western  a 
traitor. ' ' 

"There  you  are  wrong  again,  Pathfinder,  for  there  is  a 
way  of  proving  a  thing  much  more  conclusively  than  by 
either  seeing  or  feeling,  or  by  both  together  :  and  that  is  by 
a  circumstance." 

"  It  may  be  so  in  the  settlements  ;  but  it  is  not  so  here,  on 
the  lines." 

"It  is  so  in  nature,  which  is  monarch  over  all.  Now 
according  to  our  senses,  young  Kau-douce  is  this  moment 
on  deck,  and  by  going  up  there  either  of  us  might  see  and 
feel  him  ;  but,  should  it  afterwards  appear  that  a  fact  was 


2i4  Ube  patbfinfcer 


communicated  to  the  French  at  this  precise  moment,  which 
fact  no  one  but  Jasper  could  communicate ;  why,  we  should 
be  bound  to  believe  that  the  circumstance  was  true,  and  that 
our  eyes  and  fingers  deceived  us.  Any  lawyer  will  tell  you 
that." 

"This  is  hardly  right,"  said  Pathfinder  ;  "  nor  is  it  possi- 
ble, seem'  that  it  is  agin  fact." 

"It  is  much  more  than  possible,  my  worthy  guide  ;  it  is 
law ;  absolute,  king's  law  of  the  realm,  and  as  such,  to  be 
respected  and  obeyed.  I  'd  hang  my  own  brother  on  such 
testimony  ;  no  reflections  on  the  family  being  meant,  ser- 
geant." 

"  God  knows  how  far  all  this  applies  to  Jasper ;  though 
I  do  believe  Mr.  Cap  is  right  as  to  the  law,  Pathfinder  ; 
circumstances  being  much  stronger  than  the  senses  on  such 
occasions.  We  must  all  of  us  be  watchful,  and  nothing  sus- 
picious should  be  overlooked." 

"Now  I  recollect  me,"  continued  Cap,  again  using  the 
window,  "there  was  a  circumstance  just  after  we  came  on 
board  this  evening,  that  is  extremely  suspicious,  and  which 
may  be  set  down  at  once  as  a  make-weight  against  this  lad. 
Jasper  bent  on  the  king's  ensign  with  his  own  hands,  and 
while  he  pretended  to  be  looking  at  Mabel  and  the  soldier's 
wife,  giving  directions  about  showing  them  below,  here,  and 
all  that,  he  got  the  flag  union  down." 

"That  might  have  been  accident,"  returned  the  sergeant, 
"  for  such  a  thing  has  happened  to  myself;  besides,  the  hal- 
yards lead  to  a  pulley,  and  the  flag  would  have  come  right 
or  not,  according  to  the  manner  in  which  the  lad  hoisted  it." 

"A  pulley,"  exclaimed  Cap,  with  strong  disgust,  "I 
wish,  Sergeant  Dunham,  I  could  prevail  on  you  to  use 
proper  terms.  An  ensign-halyard-block  is  no  more  a  pul' 
ley  than  your  halbert  is  a  boarding-pike.  It  is  true,  that 
by  hoisting  on  one  part  another  part  would  go  uppermost, 
but  I  look  upon  that  affair  of  the  ensign,  now  you  have 
mentioned  your  suspicions,  as  a  circumstance,  and  shall  bear 
it  in  mind.  I  trust  supper  is  not  to  be  overlooked,  however, 
even  if  we  have  a  hold  full  of  traitors." 

"It  will  be  duly  attended  to,  brother  Cap;  but  I  shall 


Ube  patbfin&er  215 


count  on  you  for  aid  in  managing  the  Scud,  should  anything 
occur  to  induce  me  to  arrest  Jasper." 

"  I  '11  not  fail  you,  sergeant ;  and  in  such  an  event  you  '11 
probably  learn  what  this  cutter  can  really  perform ;  for  as 
yet,  I  fancy  it  is  pretty  much  matter  of  guess-work." 

"Well,  for  my  part,"  said  Pathfinder,  drawing  a  heavy 
sigh,  "  I  shall  cling  to  the  hope  of  Jasper's  innocence,  and 
recommend  plain  dealing,  by  asking  the  lad,  himself,  with- 
out further  delay,  whether  he  is  or  not  a  traitor.  I  '11  put 
Jasper  Western  agin  all  the  presentiments  and  circumstances 
in  the  colony. ' ' 

"  That  will  never  do,"  rejoined  the  sergeant.  "  The  re- 
sponsibility of  this  affair  rests  with  me,  and  I  request  and 
enjoin  that  nothing  be  said  to  any  one,  without  my  knowl- 
edge. We  will  all  keep  watchful  eyes  about  us,  and  take 
proper  note  of  circumstances." 

"Ay,  ay;  circumstances  are  the  things  after  all,"  re- 
turned Cap.  ' '  One  circumstance  is  worth  fifty  facts.  That 
I  know  to  be  the  law  of  the  realm.  Many  a  man  has  been 
hanged  on  circumstances." 

The  conversation  now  ceased,  and  after  a  short  delay,  the 
whole  party  returned  to  the  deck,  each  individual  disposed 
to  view  the  conduct  of  the  suspected  Jasper  in  the  manner 
most  suited  to  his  own  habits  and  character. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

"  Even  such  a  man,  so  faint,  so  spiritless, 
So  dull,  so  dead  in  look,  so  woe-begone, 
Drew  Priam's  curtain  in  the  dead  of  night, 
And  would  have  told  him,  half  his  Troy  was  burned." 

King  Henry  IV. 

ALIy  this  time,  matters  were  elsewhere  passing  in 
their  usual  train.    Jasper,  like  the  weather,  and 
his    vessel,  seemed  to  be  waiting  for  the  land 
breeze;  while  the  soldiers,    accustomed    to  early 
rising,  had,  to  a  man,  sought  their  pallets  in  the  main  hold. 
None  remained  on  deck  but  the  people  of  the  cutter,  Mr. 
Muir,  and  the  two  females.     The  quartermaster  was  endeav- 
oring to  render  himself  agreeable  to  Mabel,  while  our  heroine 
herself,  little  affected  by  his  assiduities,  which  she  ascribed 
partly  to  the  habitual  gallantry  of  a  soldier,  and  partly, 
perhaps,  to  her  own  pretty  face,  was  enjoying  the  peculiar- 
ities of  a  scene  and  situation,  that  to  her  were  full  of  the 
charms  of  novelty. 

The  sails  had  been  hoisted,  but  as  yet  not  a  breath  of  air 
was  in  motion,  and  so  still  and  placid  was  the  lake,  that  not 
the  smallest  motion  was  perceptible  in  the  cutter.  She  had 
drifted  in  the  river  current  to  a  distance  a  little  exceeding  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  land,  and  there  she  lay,  beautiful 
in  her  symmetry  and  form,  but  like  a  fixture.  Young  Jasper 
was  on  the  quarter-deck,  near  enough  to  hear  occasionally 
the  conversation  which  passed,  but  too  dimdent  of  his  own 
claim,  and  too  intent  on  his  duties,  to  attempt  to  mingle  in  it. 
The  fine  blue  eyes  of  Mabel  followed  his  motions  in  curious 
expectation,  and  more  than  once  the  quartermaster  had  to 
repeat  his  compliments,  ere  she  heard  them,  so  intent  was 
216 


Ube  patbfin&er  217 


she  on  the  little  occurrences  of  the  vessel,  and,  we  might  add, 
so  indifferent  to  the  eloquence  of  her  companion.  At  length 
even  Mr.  Muir  became  silent,  and  there  was  a  deep  stillness 
on  the  water.  Presently  an  oar-blade  fell  in  a  boat,  beneath 
the  fort,  and  the  sound  reached  the  cutter  as  distinctly  as  if  it 
had  been  produced  on  her  deck.  Then  came  a  murmur,  like 
a  sigh  of  the  night,  a  fluttering  of  the  canvas,  the  creaking 
of  the  boom,  and  the  flap  of  the  jib.  These  well-known 
sounds  were  followed  by  a  slight  heel  in  the  cutter,  and  by 
the  bellying  of  all  the  sails. 

"Here's  the  wind,  Anderson,"  called  out  Jasper  to  the 
oldest  of  his  sailors  ;  ' '  take  the  helm. ' ' 

This  brief  order  was  obeyed ;  the  helm  was  put  up,  the 
cutter's  bows  fell  off,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  water  was 
heard  murmuring  under  her  head,  as  the  Scud  glanced 
through  the  lake  at  the  rate  of  five  miles  in  the  hour.  All 
this  passed  in  profound  silence,  when  Jasper  again  gave  the 
order  to  ' '  Ease  off  the  sheets  a  little,  and  keep  her  along  the 
land." 

It  was  at  this  instant  that  the  party  from  the  after-cabin 
reappeared  on  the  quarter-deck. 

"You've  no  inclination,  Jasper,  lad,  to  trust  yourself  too 
near  our  neighbors  the  French,"  observed  Muir,  who  took 
that  occasion  to  recommence  the  discourse.  ' '  Well,  well, 
your  prudence  will  never  be  questioned  by  me,  for  I  like  the 
Canadas  as  little  as  you  can  possibly  like  them  yourself ! ' ' 

"  I  hug  this  shore,  Mr.  Muir,  on  account  of  the  wind.  The 
land  breeze  is  always  freshest  close  in,  provided  you  are  not 
so  near  as  to  make  a  lee  of  the  trees.  We  have  Mexico  Bay 
to  cross,  and  that,  on  the  present  course,  will  give  us  quite 
offing  enough." 

"  I  'm  right  glad  it 's  not  the  Bay  of  Mexico,"  put  in  Cap, 
"which  is  a  part  of  the  world  I  would  rather  not  visit  in  one 
of  your  inland  craft.  Does  your  cutter  bear  a  weather  helm, 
Master  Oh-the-Deuce  ?  " 

"She  is  easy  on  her  rudder,  Master  Cap,  but  likes  looking 
up  at  the  breeze  as  well  as  another,  when  in  lively  motion." 

' '  I  suppose  you  have  such  things  as  reefs,  though  you  can 
hardly  have  occasion  to  use  them  ?  ' ' 


jpatbfin&er 


Mabel's  bright  eye  detected  the  smile  that  gleamed  for  an 
instant  on  Jasper's  handsome  face,  but  no  one  else  saw  that 
momentary  exhibition  of  surprise  and  contempt. 

"We  have  reefs,  and  often  have  occasion  to  use  them," 
quietly  returned  the  young  man.  "  Before  we  get  in,  Master 
Cap,  an  opportunity  may  offer  to  show  you  the  manner  in 
which  we  do  so,  for  there  is  easterly  weather  brewing,  and 
the  wind  cannot  chop,  even  on  the  ocean  itself,  more  readily 
than  it  flies  round  on  I^ake  Ontario." 

"So much  for  knowing  no  better  !  I  have  seen  the  wind 
in  the  Atlantic  fly  round  like  a  coach- wheel,  in  a  way  to  keep 
your  sails  shaking  for  an  hour,  and  the  ship  would  become 
perfectly  motionless  from  not  knowing  which  way  to  turn." 

"We  have  no  such  sudden  changes  here,  certainly,"  Jas- 
per mildly  answered  ;  "  though  we  think  ourselves  liable  to 
unexpected  shifts  of  wind.  I  hope,  however,  to  carry  this 
land-breeze  as  far  as  the  first  islands  ;  after  which  there  will 
be  less  danger  of  our  being  seen  and  followed  by  any  of  the 
lookout  boats  from  Frontenac. ' ' 

"  Do  you  think  the  French  keep  spies  out  on  the  broad 
lake,  Jasper?  "  inquired  the  Pathfinder. 

' '  We  know  they  do ;  one  was  off  Oswego,  during  the 
night  of  Monday  last.  A  bark  canoe  came  close  in  with  the 
eastern  point,  and  landed  an  Indian  and  an  officer.  Had 
you  been  outlying  that  night,  as  usual,  we  should  have 
secured  one,  if  not  both  of  them. ' ' 

It  was  too  dark  to  betray  the  color  that  deepened  on 'the 
weather-burnt  features  of  the  guide,  for  he  felt  the  conscious- 
ness of  having  lingered  in  the  fort  that  night,  listening  to  the 
sweet  tones  of  Mabel's  voice,  as  she  sang  ballads  to  her 
father,  and  gazing  at  a  countenance  that,  to  him,  was  radi- 
ant with  charms.  Probity,  in  thought  and  deed,  being  the 
distinguishing  quality  of  this  extraordinary  man's  mind, 
while  he  felt  that  a  sort  of  disgrace  ought  to  attach  to  his 
idleness,  on  the  occasion  mentioned,  the  last  thought  that 
could  occur  would  be  to  attempt  to  palliate,  or  deny,  his 
negligence. 

"I  confess  it,  Jasper,  I  confess  it,"  he  said,  humbly. 
"  Had  I  been  out  that  night,  and  I  now  remember  no  suffi- 


Ube  jpatbfinfcer  2i9 


cient  reason  why  I  was  not,  it  might,  indeed,  have  turned 
out  as  you  say." 

"It  was  the  evening  you  passed  with  us,  Pathfinder," 
Mabel  innocently  remarked  ;  ' '  surely  one  who  lives  so  much 
of  his  time  in  the  forest,  in  front  of  the  enemy,  may  be 
excused  for  giving  a  few  hours  of  his  time  to  an  old  friend 
and  his  daughter. ' ' 

"  Nay,  nay,  I  've  done  little  else  but  idle  since  we  reached 
the  garrison,"  returned  the  other,  sighing  ;  "and  it  is  well 
that  the  lad  should  tell  me  of  it ;  the  idler  needs  a  scoldin' 
— yes,  he  needs  a  scoldin'.  " 

' '  Scolding,  Pathfinder  !  I  never  dreamed  of  saying  any- 
thing disagreeable,  and  least  of  all  would  I  think  of  rebuk- 
ing you,  because  a  solitary  spy,  and  an  Indian  or  two,  have 
escaped  us  !  Now  I  know  where  you  were,  I  think  your 
absence  the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world." 

"  I  think  nothing  of  it,  Jasper,  I  think  nothing  of  what 
you  said,  since  it  was  desarved.  We  are  all  human,  and  all 
do  wrong." 

"This  is  unkind,  Pathfinder." 

"  Give  me  your  hand,  lad,  give  me  your  hand.  It  was  n't 
you  that  gave  the  lesson  ;  it  was  conscience." 

"Well,  well,"  interrupted  Cap,  "  now  this  latter  matter  is 
settled  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties,  perhaps  you  will  tell 
us  how  it  happened  to  be  known  that  there  were  spies  near 
us  so  lately.  This  looks  amazingly  like  a  circumstance  !  " 

As  the  mariner  uttered  the  last  sentence,  he  pressed  a 
foot  slyly  on  that  of  the  sergeant,  and  nudged  the  guida 
with  his  elbow,  winking,  at  the  same  time,  though  this  sign 
was  lost  in  the  obscurity. 

"  It  is  known,  because  their  trail  was  found  next  day  by 
the  Serpent,  and  it  was  that  of  a  military  boot  and  a 
moccasin.  One  of  our  hunters,  moreover,  saw  the  canoe 
crossing  towards  Frontenac  next  morning." 

"Did  the  trail  lead  near  the  garrison,  Jasper?"  Path- 
finder asked,  in  a  manner  so  meek  and  subdued,  that  it 
resembled  the  tone  of  a  rebuked  schoolboy.  ' '  Did  the  trail 
lead  near  the  garrison,  lad  ?  " 

"  We  thought  not ;  though,  of  course,  it  did  not  cross  the 


220  tTbe  patbfinber 


river.  It  was  followed  down  to  the  eastern  point,  at  the 
river's  mouth,  where  what  was  doing  in  port  might  be  seen  ; 
but  it  did  not  cross,  as  we  could  discover." 

"And  why  did  n't  you  get  under  way,  Master  Jasper," 
Cap  demanded,  ' '  and  give  chase  ?  On  Tuesday  morning  it 
blew  a  good  breeze ;  one  in  which  this  cutter  might  have  run 
nine  knots." 

"That  may  do  on  the  ocean,  Master  Cap,"  put  in  Path- 
finder, "  but  it  would  not  do  here.  Water  leaves  no  trail, 
and  a  Mingo  and  a  Frenchman  are  a  match  for  the  devil  in 
a  pursuit. ' ' 

"  Who  wants  a  trail,  when  the  chase  can  be  seen  from  the 
deck,  as  Jasper,  here,  said  was  the  case  with  this  canoe  ?  and 
it  mattered  nothing  if  there  were  twenty  of  your  Mingos  and 
Frenchmen,  with  a  good  British-built  bottom  in  their  wake. 
I  '11  engage,  Master  Oh-the-Deuce,  had  you  given  me  a  call, 
that  said  Tuesday  morning,  that  we  should  have  overhauled 
the  blackguards." 

"  I  dare  say,  Master  Cap,  that  the  advice  of  as  old  a  sea- 
man as  you  might  have  done  no  harm  to  as  young  a  sailor 
as  myself,  but  it  is  a  long  and  a  hopeless  chase  that  has  a 
bark  canoe  in  it." 

"You  would  have  had  only  to  press  it  hard  to  drive  it 
ashore!" 

"  Ashore,  Master  Cap  !  You  do  not  understand  our  lake 
navigation  at  all,  if  you  suppose  it  an  easy  matter  to  force  a 
bark  canoe  ashore.  As  soon  as  they  find  themselves 
pressed,  these  bubbles  paddle  right  into  the  wind's  eye,  and 
before  you  know  it,  you  find  yourself  a  mile  or  two  dead 
under  their  lee." 

"  You  don't  wish  me  to  believe,  Master  Jasper,  that  any 
one  is  so  heedless  of  drowning,  as  to  put  off  into  this  lake, 
in  one  of  them  egg-shells,  when  there  is  any  wind  ?  " 

"  I  have  often  crossed  Ontario  in  a  bark  canoe,  even  when 
there  has  been  a  good  deal  of  sea  on.  Well  managed,  they 
are  the  driest  boats  of  which  we  have  any  knowledge." 

Cap  now  led  his  brother-in-law  and  Pathfinder  aside,  when 
he  assured  him  that  the  admission  of  Jasper  concerning  the 
spies  was  a  "circumstance,  "  and  "a  strong  circumstance," 


and  as  such,  deserved  his  deliberate  investigation  ;  while  his 
account  of  the  canoes  was  so  improbable,  as  to  wear  the 
appearance  of  browbeating  the  listeners.  Jasper  spoke  con- 
fidently of  the  character  of  the  two  individuals  who  had 
landed,  and  this  Cap  deemed  pretty  strong  proof  that  he 
knew  more  about  them  than  was  to  be  gathered  from  a  mere 
trail.  As  for  moccasins,  he  said  that  they  were  worn,  in  that 
part  of  the  world,  by  white  men,  as  well  as  by  Indians  ;  he 
had  purchased  a  pair  himself ;  and  boots,  it  was  notorious, 
did  not  particular^  make  a  soldier.  Although  much  of  this 
logic  was  thrown  away  on  the  sergeant,  still  it  produced 
some  effect.  He  thought  it  a  little  singular  himself  that 
there  should  have  been  spies  detected  so  near  the  fort,  and 
he  know  nothing  of  it ;  nor  did  he  believe  that  this  was  a 
branch  of  knowledge  that  fell  particularly  within  the  sphere 
of  Jasper.  It  was  true  that  the  Scud  had  once  or  twice  been 
sent  across  the  lake  to  laud  men  of  this  character,  or  to 
bring  them  off;  but  then  the  part  played  by  Jasper,  to  his 
own  certain  knowledge,  was  very  secondary,  the  master  of 
the  cutter  remaining  as  ignorant  as  any  one  else,  of  the  pur- 
port of  the  visits  of  those  whom  he  had  carried  to  and  fro  ; 
nor  did  he  see  why  he,  alone,  of  all  present,  should  know 
anything  of  the  late  visit.  Pathfinder  viewed  the  matter 
differently.  With  his  habitual  diffidence,  he  reproached 
himself  with  a  neglect  of  duty,  and  that  knowledge  of  which 
the  want  struck  him  as  a  fault  in  one  whose  business  it  was 
to  possess  it,  appeared  a  merit  in  the  young  man.  He  saw 
nothing  extraordinary  in  Jasper's  knowing  the  facts  he  had 
related  ;  while  he  did  feel  it  was  unusual,  not  to  say  dis- 
graceful, that  he  himself  now  heard  of  them  for  the  first 
time. 

' '  As  for  moccasins,  Master  Cap,  ' '  he  said,  when  a  short 
pause  invited  him  to  speak,  "they  may  be  worn  by  pale- 
faces as  well  as  by  redskins,  it  is  true,  though  they  never 
leave  the  same  trail  on  the  foot  of  one  as  on  the  foot  of  the 
other.  Any  one  who  is  used  to  the  woods  can  tell  the  foot- 
step of  an  Injin  from  the  footstep  of  a  white  man,  whether  it 
be  made  by  a  boot  or  a  moccasin.  It  will  need  better 
evidence  than  this  to  make  me  believe  that  Jasper  is  false." 


222  Ube  patbfmfcer 


"You  will  allow,  Pathfinder,  that  there  are  such  things 
in  the  world  as  traitors,"  put  in  Cap,  logically. 

"  I  never  knew  an  honest-minded  Mingo  ;  one  that  you 
could  put  your  faith  in,  if  he  had  a  temptation  to  deceive 
you.  Cheatin'  seems  to  be  their  gift,  and  I  sometimes  think 
they  ought  to  be  pitied  for  it,  rather  than  parsecuted." 

"Then  why  not  believe  that  this  Jasper  may  have  the 
same  weakness?"  A  man  is  a  man,  and  human  nature  is 
sometimes  but  a  poor  concern,  as  I  know  by  experience ;  I 
may  say,  well  know  by  experience ;  at  least  I  speak  for  my 
own  human  nature." 

This  was  the  opening  of  another  long  and  desultory 
conversation,  in  which  the  probability  of  Jasper's  guilt  or 
innocence  was  argued,  pro  and  con,  until  both  the  sergeant 
and  his  brother-in-law  had  nearly  reasoned  themselves  into 
settled  convictions  in  favor  of  the  first,  while  their  compan- 
ion grew  sturdier  and  sturdier  in  his  defence  of  the  accused, 
and  still  more  fixed  in  his  opinion  of  his  being  unjustly 
charged  with  treachery.  In  this  there  was  nothing  out  of 
the  common  course  of  things,  for  there  is  no  more  certain 
way  of  arriving  at  any  particular  notion,  than  by  undertak- 
ing to  defend  it ;  and  among  the  most  obstinate  of  our 
opinions  may  be  classed  those  which  are  derived  from  dis- 
cussions in  which  we  affect  to  search  for  truth,  while  in 
reality  we  are  only  fortifying  prejudice.  By  this  time,  the 
sergeant  had  reached  a  state  of  mind  that  disposed  him  to 
view  every  act  of  the  young  sailor  with  distrust,  and  he 
soon  got  to  coincide  with  his  relative  in  deeming  the  pecul- 
iar knowledge  of  Jasper,  in  reference  to  the  spies,  a  branch 
of  information  that  certainly  did  not  come  within  the  circle 
of  his  regular  duties,  as  a  "  circumstance. ' ' 

While  this  matter  was  thus  discussed  near  the  taffrail, 
Mabel  sat  silent  by  the  companion-way ;  Mr.  Muir  having 
gone  below  to  look  after  his  personal  comforts,  and  Jasper 
standing  a  little  aloof,  with  his  arms  crossed,  and  his  eyes 
wandering  from  the  sails  to  the  clouds,  and  the  clouds  to 
the  dusky  outline  of  the  shore,  from  the  shore  to  the  lake, 
and  from  the  lake  back  again  to  the  sails.  Our  heroine 
too,  began  to  commune  with  her  own  thoughts.  The  ex- 


Ube  patbfinfcer  223 


citement  of  the  late  journey,  the  incidents  which  marked  the 
day  of  her  arrival  at  the  fort,  the  meeting  with  a  father  who 
was  virtually  a  stranger  to  her,  the  novelty  of  her  late  situ- 
ation in  the  garrison,  and  her  present  voyage,  formed  a  vista 
for  the  mind's  eye  to  look  back  through,  that  seemed  length- 
ened into  months.  She  could  with  difficulty  believe  that  she 
had  so  recently  left  the  town,  with  all  the  usages  of  civilized 
life  ;  and  she  wondered,  in  particular,  that  the  incidents 
which  had  occurred  during  the  descent  of  the  Oswego,  had 
made  so  little  impression  on  her  mind.  Too  inexperienced 
to  know  that  events,  when  crowded,  have  the  effect  of  time, 
or  that  the  quick  succession  of  novelties  that  pass  before  us 
in  travelling,  elevates  objects,  in  a  measure,  to  the  dignity  of 
events,  she  drew  upon  her  memory  for  days  and  dates,  in 
order  to  make  certain  that  she  had  known  Jasper,  and  the 
Pathfinder,  and  her  own  father,  but  little  more  than  a  fort- 
night. Mabel  was  a  girl  of  heart,  rather  than  of  imagin- 
ation, though  by  no  means  deficient  in  the  last,  and  she 
could  not  easily  account  for  the  strength  of  her  feelings  in 
connection  with  those  who  were  lately  strangers  to  her ;  for 
she  was  not  sufficiently  accustomed  to  analyze  her  sensations, 
to  understand  the  nature  of  the  influences  that  have  just  been 
mentioned.  As  yet,  however,  her  pure  mind  was  free  from 
the  blight  of  distrust,  and  she  had  no  suspicion  of  the  views 
of  either  of  her  suitors  ;  and  one  of  the  last  thoughts  that 
could  have  voluntarily  disturbed  her  confidence,  would  have 
been  to  suppose  it  possible  either  of  her  companions  was  a 
traitor  to  his  king  and  country. 

America,  at  the  time  of  which  we  are  writing,  was  remarkn 
able  for  its  attachment  to  the  German  family  that  then  sat 
on  the  British  throne  ;  for,  as  is  the  fact  with  all  provinces, 
the  virtues  and  qualities  that  are  proclaimed  near  the  centre 
of  power,  as  incense  and  policy,  get  to  be  a  part  of  political 
faith  with  the  credulous  and  ignorant,  at  a  distance.  This" 
truth  is  just  as  apparent  to-day,  in  connection  with  the  prodi- 
gies of  the  republic,  as  it  then  was  in  connection  with  those 
distant  rulers  whose  merits  it  was  always  safe  to  applaud, 
and  whose  demerits  it  was  treason  to  reveal.  It  is  a  conse- 
quence of  this  mental  dependence,  that  public  opinion  is  so 


224  tEbe  fcatbffn&er 


much  placed  at  the  mercy  of  the  designing ;  and  the  world, 
in  the  midst  of  its  idle  boasts  of  knowledge  and  improve- 
ment, is  left  to  receive  its  truths,  on  all  such  points  as  touch 
the  interests  of  the  powerful  and  managing,  through  such  a 
medium,  and  such  a  medium  only,  as  may  serve  the  particu- 
lar views  of  those  who  pull  the  wires.  Pressed  upon  by  the 
subjects  of  France,  who  were  then  encircling  the  British 
colonies  with  a  belt  of  forts  and  settlements  that  completely 
secured  the  savages  for  allies,  it  would  have  been  difficult  to 
say  whether  the  Americans  loved  the  English  more  than  they 
hated  the  French  ;  and  those  who  then  lived  probably  would 
have  considered  the  alliance  which  took  place  between  the 
cis- Atlantic  subjects  and  the  ancient  rivals  of  the  British 
crown,  some  twenty  years  later,  as  an  event  entirely  without 
the  circle  of  probabilities.  In  a  word,  as  fashions  are  exag- 
gerated in  a  province,  so  are  opinions  :  and  the  loyalty  that 
at  London  merely  formed  a  part  of  the  political  scheme,  at 
New  York  was  magnified  into  a  faith  that  might  almost  have 
moved  mountains.  Disaffection  was,  consequently,  a  rare 
offence  ;  and,  most  of  all,  would  treason,  that  should  favor 
France  or  Frenchmen,  have  been  odious  in  the  eyes  of  the 
provincials.  The  last  thing  that  Mabel  would  suspect  of 
Jasper,  was  the  very  crime  with  which  he  now  stood  secretly 
charged  ;  and,  if  others  near  her  endured  the  pains  of  dis- 
trust, she,  at  least,  was  filled  with  the  generous  confidence 
of  a  woman.  As  yet,  no  whisper  had  reached  her  ear  to  dis- 
turb the  feeling  of  reliance  with  which  she  had  early  regarded 
the  young  sailor,  and  her  own  mind  would  have  been  the 
last  to  suggest  such  a  thought,  of  itself.  The  pictures  of  the 
past  and  of  the  present,  therefore,  that  exhibited  themselves 
so  rapidly  to  her  active  imagination,  were  unclouded  with  a 
shade  that  might  affect  any  in  whom  she  felt  an  interest ;  and 
ere  she  had  mused,  in  the  manner  related,  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  the  whole  scene  around  her  was  filled  with  unalloyed 
satisfaction. 

The  season  and  the  night,  to  represent  them  truly,  were 
of  a  nature  to  stimulate  the  sensations  which  youth,  health, 
and  happiness  are  wont  to  associate  with  novelty.  The 
weather  was  warm,  as  is  not  always  the  case  in  that  region 


patbfinber  225 


even  in  summer,  while  the  air  that  came  off  the  land  in 
breathing  currents,  brought  with  it  the  coolness  and  fragrance 
of  the  forest.  The  wind  was  far  from  being  fresh,  though 
there  was  enough  of  it  to  drive  the  Scud  merrily  ahead,  and 
perhaps  to  keep  attention  alive,  in  the  uncertainty  that, 
more  or  less,  accompanies  darkness.  Jasper,  however,  ap- 
peared to  regard  it  with  complacency,  as  was  apparent  by 
what  he  said  in  a  short  dialogue  that  now  occurred  between 
him  and  Mabel. 

"At  this  rate,  Eau-douce"  (for  so  Mabel  had  already 
learned  to  style  the  young  sailor),  said  our  heroine,  "we 
cannot  be  long  in  reaching  our  place  of  destination." 

"  Has  your  father  told  you  what  that  is,  Mabel  ?  " 

' '  He  has  told  me  nothing;  my  father  is  too  much  of  a  soldier, 
and  too  little  used  to  have  a  family  around  him,  to  talk  of 
such  matters.  Is  it  forbidden  to  say  whither  we  are  bound  ?  ' ' 

' '  It  cannot  be  far  while  we  steer  in  this  direction,  for 
sixty  or  seventy  miles  will  take  us  into  the  St.  Lawrence, 
which  the  French  might  make  too  hot  for  us  ;  and  no  voyage 
on  this  lake  can  be  very  long." 

"So  says  my  uncle  Cap  ;  but  to  me,  Jasper,  Ontario  and 
the  ocean  appear  very  much  the  same. ' ' 

"  You  have  then  been  on  the  ocean,  while  I,  who  pretend 
to  be  a  sailor,  have  never  }-et  seen  salt  water  !  You  must 
have  a  great  contempt  for  such  a  mariner  as  myself  in  your 
heart,  Mabel  Dunham  !  " 

"Then  I  have  no  such  thing  in  my  heart,  Jasper  Eau- 
douce.  What  right  have  I,  a  girl  without  experience  or 
knowledge,  to  despise  any,  much  less  one  like  you,  who  are 
trusted  by  the  major,  and  who  command  a  vessel  like  this  ! 
I  have  never  been  on  the  ocean,  though  I  have  seen  it ;  and, 
I  repeat,  I  see  no  difference  between  this  lake  and  the 
Atlantic." 

"Nor  in  them  that  sail  on  both?  I  was  afraid,  Mabel, 
your  uncle  has  said  so  much  against  us  fresh-water  sailors 
that  you  had  begun  to  look  upon  us  as  little  better  than 
pretenders. ' ' 

"Give  yourself  no  uneasiness  on  that  account,  Jasper, 
for  I  know  my  uncle,  and  he  says  as  many  things  against 


226  tlbe  patbfinfcer 


those  who  live  ashore  when  at  York,  as  he  now  says  against 
those  who  sail  on  fresh  water.  No,  no ;  neither  my  father 
nor  myself  think  anything  of  such  opinions  !  My  uncle  Cap, 
if  he  spoke  openly,  would  be  found  to  have  even  a  worse 
notion  of  a  soldier  than  of  a  sailor  who  never  saw  the  sea." 

"  But  your  father,  Mabel,  has  a  better  opinion  of  soldiers 
than  of  any  one  else ;  he  wishes  you  to  be  the  wife  of  a 
soldier. ' ' 

"Jasper  Eau-douce  !  I,  the  wife  of  a  soldier  !  My  father 
wishes  it !  Why  should  he  wish  any  such  thing  ;  what 
soldier  is  there  in  the  garrison  that  I  could  marry — that  he 
could  wish  me  to  marry  ?  " 

"  One  may  love  a  calling  so  well,  as  to  fancy  it  will  cover 
a  thousand  imperfections. ' ' 

"But  one  is  not  likely  to  love  his  own  calling  so  well,  as 
to  cause  him  to  overlook  everything  else.     You  say  my 
father  wishes  me  to  marry  a  soldier,  and  yet  there  is  no 
soldier,  at  Oswego,  that  he  would  be  likely  to  give  me  to. 
/  I  am  in  an  awkward  position,  for  while  I   am  not  good 
\ enough  to  be  the  wife  of  one  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  garri- 
son, I  think  even  you  will  admit,  Jasper,  I  am  too  good  to  be 
the  wife  of  one  of  the  common  soldiers. ' ' 

As  Mabel  spoke  thus  frankly,  she  blushed,  she  knew  not 
why,  though  the  obscurity  concealed  the  fact  from  her  com- 
panion ;  and  she  laughed  faintly,  like  one  who  felt  that  the 
subject,  however  embarrassing  it  might  be,  deserved  to  be 
treated  fairly.  Jasper,  it  would  seem,  viewed  her  position 
differently  from  herself. 

"It  is  true,  Mabel,"  he  said,  "  you  are  not  what  is  called 
a  lady,  in  the  common  meaning  of  the  word — " 

Not  in  any  meaning,  Jasper, ' '  the  generous  girl  eagerly 
interrupted ;  "on  that  head  I  have  no  vanities,  I  hope. 
Providence  has  made  me  the  daughter  of  a  sergeant,  and  I 
am  content  to  remain  in  the  station  in  which  I  was  born." 

But  all  do  not  remain  in  the  stations  in  which  they  were 
born,  Mabel,  for  some  rise  above  them,  and  some  fall  below 
them.  Many  sergeants  have  become  officers — even  generals  ; 
and  why  may  not  sergeants'  daughters  become  officers' 
ladies?" 


Ube  patbfin&er  227 


"  In  the  case  of  Sergeant  Dunham's  daughter,  I  know  no 
better  reason  than  the  fact  that  no  officer  is  likely  to  wish  to 
make  her  his  wife,"  returned  Mabel,  laughing. 

"  You  may  think  so  ;  but  there  are  some  in  the  55th  that 
know  better.  There  is  certainly  one  officer  in  that  regiment, 
Mabel,  who  does  wish  to  make  you  his  wife." 

Quick  as  the  flashing  lightning,  the  rapid  thoughts  of 
Mabel  Dunham  glanced  over  the  five  or  six  subalterns  of 
the  corps,  who,  by  age  and  inclinations,  would  be  the  most 
likely  to  form  such  a  wish  ;  and  we  should  do  injustice  to 
her  habits,  perhaps,  were  we  not  to  say  that  a  lively  sensa- 
tion of  pleasure  rose  momentarily  in  her  bosom,  at  the 
thought  of  being  raised  above  a  station  which,  whatever 
might  be  her  professions  of  contentment,  she  felt  that  she  had 
been  too  well  educated  to  fill  with  perfect  satisfaction.  But 
this  emotion  was  as  transient  as  it  was  sudden,  for  Mabel 
Dunham  was  a  girl  of  too  much  pure  and  womanly  feeling, 
to  view  the  marriage  tie  through  anything  so  worldly  as  the 
mere  advantages  of  station.  The  passing  emotion  was  a 
thrill  produced  by  habit,  while  the  more  settled  opinion 
which  remained,  was  the  offspring  of  nature  and  principles. 

' '  I  know  no  officer  in  the  55th,  or  any  other  regiment, 
who  would  be  likely  to  do  so  foolish  a  thing  ;  nor  do  I  think 
I  myself  would  do  so  foolish  a  thing  as  to  marry  an  officer." 

"Foolish,  Mabel  !  " 

"  Yes,  foolish,  Jasper.  You  know,  as  well  as  I  can  know, 
what  the  world  would  think  of  such  matters,  and  I  should  be 
sorry,  very  sorry,  to  find  that  my  husband  ever  regretted  that 
he  had  so  far  yielded  to  a  fancy  for  a  face  or  a  figure,  as  to 
have  married  the  daughter  of  one  so  much  his  inferior  as  a 
sergeant. ' ' 

"  Your  husband,  Mabel,  will  not  be  so  likely  to  think  of 
the  father,  as  to  think  of  the  daughter. ' ' 

The  girl  was  talking  with  spirit,  though  feeling,  evidently, 
entered  into  her  part  of  the  discourse ;  but  she  paused  for 
near  a  minute  after  Jasper  had  made  the  last  observation 
before  she  uttered  another  word.  Then  she  continued  in  a 
manner  less  playful,  and  one  critically  attentive  might  have 
fancied  in  a  manner  that  was  slightly  melancholy  : — 


228  Ube  patbfinfcer 


"  Parent  and  child  ought  so  to  live  as  not  to  have  two 
hearts,  or  two  modes  of  feeling  and  thinking.  A  common 
interest  in  all  things,  I  should  think  as  necessary  to  happi- 
ness in  man  and  wife,  as  between  the  other  members  of 
the  same  family.  Most  of  all,  ought  neither  the  man  nor 
the  woman  to  have  any  unusual  cause  for  unhappiness,  the 
world  furnishing  so  many  of  itself." 

"Am  I  to  understand,  then,  Mabel,  you  would  refuse  to 
marry  an  officer  merely  because  he  was  an  officer  ?  " 

"  Have  you  a  right  to  ask  such  a  question,  Jasper?  "  said 
Mabel,  smiling. 

"  No  other  right  than  what  a  strong  desire  to  see  you 
happy  can  give,  which,  after  all,  may  be  very  little.  My 
anxiety  has  been  increased  from  happening  to  know  that  it 
is  your  father's  intention  to  persuade  you  to  marry  lieutenant 
Muir." 

"  My  dear,  dear  father  can  entertain  no  notion  so  ridic- 
ulous ;  no  notion  so  cruel !  " 

"  Would  it,  then,  be  cruel  to  wish  you  the  wife  of  a  quarter- 
master ? ' ' 

"  I  have  told  you  what  I  think  on  that  subject,  and  can- 
not make  my  words  stronger.  Having  answered  you  so 
frankly,  Jasper,  I  have  a  right  to  ask  how  you  know  that 
my  father  thinks  of  any  such  thing  ? ' ' 

"  That  he  has  chosen  a  husband  for  you,  I  know  from  his 
own  mouth  ;  for  he  has  told  me  this  much  during  our  fre- 
quent conversations,  while  he  has  been  superintending  the 
shipment  of  the  stores  :  and  that  Mr.  Muir  is  to  offer  for  you, 
I  know  from  the  officer  himself;  who  has  told  me  as  much. 
By  putting  the  two  things  together,  I  have  come  to  the 
opinion  mentioned." 

"  May  not  my  dear  father,  Jasper," — Mabel's  face  glowed 
like  fire  while  she  spoke,  though  her  words  escaped  her 
slowly,  and  by  a  sort  of  involuntary  impulse, — ' '  may  not  my 
dear  father  have  been  thinking  of  another  ?  It  does  not  fol- 
low, from  what  you  say,  that  Mr.  Muir  was  in  his  mind." 

"Is  it  not  probable,  Mabel,  from  all  that  has  passed? 
What  brings  the  quartermaster  here  ?  He  has  never  found 
it  necessary  before,  to  accompany  the  parties  that  have  gone 


TTbe  patbffnfcer  229 


below  ;  he  thinks  of  you  for  his  wife  ;  and  your  father  has 
made  up  his  own  mind  that  you  shall  be  so.  You  must  see, 
Mabel,  that  Mr.  Muir  follows  you?" 

Mabel  made  no  answer.  Her  feminine  instinct  had,  in- 
deed, told  her  that  she  was  an  object  of  admiration  with  the 
quartermaster,  though  she  had  hardly  supposed  to  the  ex- 
tent that  Jasper  believed  ;  and  she,  too,  had  even  gathered 
from  the  discourse  of  her  father,  that  he  thought  seriously 
of  having  her  disposed  of  in  marriage  ;  but  by  no  process  of 
reasoning  could  she  ever  have  arrived  at  the  inference  that 
Mr.  Muir  was  to  be  the  man.  She  did  not  believe  it  now, — 
though  she  was  far  from  suspecting  the  truth.  Indeed,  it  was 
her  opinion  that  the  casual  remarks  of  her  father  which  had 
struck  her,  had  proceeded  from  a  general  wish  to  have  her 
settled,  rather  than  from  any  desire  to  see  her  united  to  any 
particular  individual.  These  thoughts,  however,  she  kept 
secret ;  for  self-respect  and  feminine  reserve  showed  her  the 
impropriety  of  making  them  the  subject  of  discussion  with 
her  present  companion.  By  way  of  changing  the  conversa- 
tion, therefore,  after  the  pause  had  lasted  long  enough  to  be 
embarrassing  to  both  parties,  she  said, — 

"  Of  one  thing  you  may  be  certain,  Jasper  ;  and  that  is  all 
I  wish  to  say  on  the  subject :  Lieutenant  Muir,  though  he 
were  a  colonel,  will  never  be  the  husband  of  Mabel  Dunham. 
And  now,  tell  me  of  your  voyage  ;  when  will  it  end  ? ' ' 

"  That  is  uncertain.  Once  afloat,  we  are  at  the  mercy  of 
the  winds  and  waves.  Pathfinder  will  tell  you,  that  he  who 
begins  to  chase  the  deer  in  the  morning,  cannot  tell  where  he 
will  sleep  at  night." 

"  But  we  are  not  chasing  a  deer  ;  nor  is  it  morning  :  so 
Pathfinder's  moral  is  thrown  away." 

' '  Although  we  are  not  chasing  a  deer,  we  are  after  that 
which  may  be  as  hard  to  catch.  I  can  tell  you  no  more 
than  I  have  said  already ;  for  it  is  our  duty  to  be  close- 
mouthed,  whether  anything  depends  on  it  or  not.  I  am 
afraid,  however,  I  shall  not  keep  you  long  enough  in  the 
Scud,  to  show  you  what  she  can  do  in  fair  and  foul." 

"I  think  a  woman  unwise  who  ever  marries  a  sailor," 
said  Mabel,  abruptly,  and  almost  involuntarily. 


23o  Ube  patbffttoer 


"This  is  a  strange  opinion  ;  why  do  you  hold  it  ? " 

"  Because  a  sailor's  wife  is  certain  to  have  a  rival  in  his 
vessel.  My  uncle  Cap,  too,  says  that  a  sailor  should  never 
marry. ' ' 

"  He  means  salt-water  sailors,"  returned  Jasper,  laughing. 
' '  If  he  thinks  wives  not  good  enough  for  those  who  sail  on 
the  ocean,  he  will  fancy  them  just  suited  to  those  who  sail 
on  the  lakes.  I  hope,  Mabel,  you  do  not  take  your  opinions 
of  us  fresh- water  mariners  from  all  that  Master  Cap  says." 

"Sail,  ho!"  exclaimed  the  very  individual  of  whom 
they  were  conversing  ;  "or  boat,  ho  !  would  be  nearer  the 
truth." 

Jasper  ran  forward  ;  and,  sure  enough,  a  small  object  was 
discernible  about  a  hundred  yards  ahead  of  the  cutter,  and 
nearly  on  her  lee  bow.  At  the  first  glance,  he  saw  it  was  a 
bark  canoe ;  for  though  the  darkness  prevented  hues  from 
being  distinguished,  the  eye  that  had  got  to  be  accustomed 
to  the  night,  might  discern  forms  at  some  little  distance  ;  and 
the  eye  which,  like  Jasper's,  had  long  been  familiar  with 
things  aquatic,  could  not  be  at  a  loss  in  discovering  the 
outlines  necessary  to  come  to  the  conclusion  he  did. 

"This  may  be  an  enemy,"  the  young  man  remarked; 
"  and  it  may  be  well  to  overhaul  him." 

' '  He  is  paddling  with  all  his  might,  lad, ' '  observed  the 
Pathfinder,  ' '  and  means  to  cross  your  bows  and  get  to 
windward,  when  you  might  as  well  chase  a  full-grown  buck 
on  snow-shoes!  " 

"Aether  luff!"  cried  Jasper  to  the  man  at  the  helm. 
"  I<uff  up,  till  she  shakes,— there,  steady,  and  hold  all 
that." 

The  helmsman  complied,  and  as  the  Scud  was  now  dash- 
ing the  water  aside  merrily,  a  minute  or  two  put  the  canoe 
so  far  to  leeward  as  to  render  escape  impracticable.  Jasper 
now  sprang  to  the  helm  himself,  and  by  judicious  and  care- 
ful handling,  he  got  so  near  his  chase  that  it  was  secured  by 
a  boat-hook.  On  receiving  an  order,  the  two  persons  who 
were  in  the  canoe,  left  it,  and  no  sooner  had  they  reached 
the  deck  of  the  cutter,  than  they  were  found  to  be  Arrow- 
head and  his  wife. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

"  What  pearl  is  it  that  rich  men  cannot  buy, 
That  learning  is  too  proud  to  gather  up  ; 
But  which  the  poor  and  the  despised  of  all 
Seek  and  obtain,  and  often  find  unsought? 
Tell  me — and  I  will  tell  theewhatis  truth." 

COWPER. 

THE  meeting  with  the  Indian  and  his  wife  excited 
no  surprise  in  the  majority  of  those  who  witnessed 
the  occurrence  ;  but  Mabel,  and  all  who  knew  of 
the  manner  in  which  this  chief  had  been  separated 
from  the  party  of  Cap,  simultaneously  entertained  suspicions, 
which  it  was  far  easier  to  feel,  than  to  follow  out  by  any 
plausible  clue  to   certainty.     Pathfinder,  who  alone  could 
converse  freely  with  the  prisoners,  for  such  they  might  now 
be  considered,  took  Arrowhead  aside,  and  held  a  long  con- 
versation with  him,  concerning  the  reasons  of  the  latter  foi 
having  deserted  his  charge,  and  the  manner  in  which  he  had 
been  since  employed. 

The  Tuscarora  met  these  inquiries,  and  he  gave  his  an- 
swers with  the  stoicism  of  an  Indian.  As  respects  the 
separation,  his  excuses  were  very  simply  made,  and  they 
seemed  to  be  sufficiently  plausible.  When  he  found  that  the 
party  was  discovered  in  its  place  of  concealment,  he  naturally 
sought  his  own  safety,  which  he  secured  by  plunging  into 
the  woods,  for  he  made  no  doubt  that  all  who  could  not 
effect  this  much,  would  be  massacred  on  the  spot.  In  a 
word,  he  had  run  away,  in  order  to  save  his  life. 

"This  is  well,"  returned  Pathfinder,  affecting  to  believe 
the  other's  apologies  ;  "my  brother  did  very  wisely  ;  but  his 
woman  followed  ?  " 


232  tTbe  patbfinfcer 


"Do  not  the  pale- faces'  women  follow  their  husbands? 
Would  not  Pathfinder  have  looked  back  to  see  if  one  he 
loved  was  coming  ?  " 

This  appeal  was  made  to  the  guide  while  he  was  in  a  most 
fortunate  frame  of  mind  to  admit  its  force ;  for  Mabel,  and 
her  blandishments  and  constancy,  were  getting  to  be  images 
familiar  to  his  thoughts.  The  Tuscarora,  though  he  could 
not  trace  the  reason,  saw  that  his  excuse  was  admitted,  and 
he  stood,  with  quiet  dignity,  awaiting  the  next  inquiry. 

"This  is  reasonable  and  natural,"  returned  Pathfinder,  in 
English,  passing  from  one  language  to  the  other,  insensibly 
to  himself,  as  his  feelings  or  habits  dictated ;  ' '  this  is  nat- 
ural, and  may  be  so.  A  woman  would  be  likely  to  follow 
the  man  to  whom  she  had  plighted  faith,  and  husband  and 
wife  are  one  flesh.  Mabel,  herself,  would  have  been  likely 
to  follow  the  sergeant,  had  he  been  present,  and  retreated 
in  this  manner ;  and,  no  doubt,  the  warm-hearted  girl 
would  have  followed  her  husband.  Your  words  are  honest, 
Tuscarora,"  changing  the  language  to  the  dialect  of  the 
other.  ' '  Your  words  are  honest,  and  very  pleasant,  and 
just.  But  why  has  my  brother  been  so  long  from  the  fort? 
his  friends  have  thought  of  him  often,  but  have  never  seen 
him!" 

' '  If  the  doe  follows  the  buck,  ought  not  the  buck  to  fol- 
low the  doe?"  answered  the  Tuscarora,  smiling,  and  laying 
a  finger  significantly  on  the  shoulder  of  his  interrogator. 
"Arrowhead's  wife  followed  Arrowhead;  it  was  right  in 
Arrowhead  to  follow  his  wife.  She  lost  her  way,  and  they 
made  her  cook  in  a  strange  wigwam." 

"I  understand  you,  Tuscarora.  The  woman  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Mingos,  and  you  kept  upon  their  trail." 

Pathfinder  can  see  a  reason  as  easily  as  he  can  see  the 
moss  on  the  trees.     It  is  so. ' ' 

"And  how  long  have  you  got  the  woman  back,  and  in 
what  manner  has  it  been  done?  " 

"  Two  suns.  The  Dew-of-June  was  not  long  in  coming, 
when  her  husband  whispered  to  her  the  path." 

"  Well,  well,  all  this  seems  nat'ral  and  according  to  mat- 
rimony. But,  Tuscarora,  how  did  you  get  that  canoe,  and 


TTbe  patbfin&er  233 

why  are  you  paddling  towards  the  St.  I^awrence  instead  of 
the  garrison  ?  ' ' 

' '  Arrowhead  can  tell  his  own  from  that  of  another.  This 
canoe  is  mine ;  I  found  it  on  the  shore,  near  the  fort." 

"That  sounds  reasonable,  too,  for  the  canoe  does  belong 
to  the  man,  and  an  Injin  would  make  few  words  about  tak- 
ing it.  Still,  it  is  extr'ornary  that  we  saw  nothing  of  the 
fellow  and  his  wife,  for  the  canoe  must  have  left  the  river 
before  we  did  ourselves." 

This  idea,  which  passed  rapidly  through  the  mind  of  the 
guide,  was  now  put  to  the  Indian  in  the  shape  of  a  question. 

' '  Pathfinder  knows  that  a  warrior  can  have  shame.  The 
father  would  have  asked  me  for  his  daughter,  and  I  could 
not  give  him  to  her.  I  sent  the  Dew-of-June  for  the  canoe, 
and  no  one  spoke  to  the  woman.  A  Tuscarora  woman 
would  not  be  free  in  speaking  to  strange  men." 

All  this,  too,  was  plausible,  and  in  conformity  with  In- 
dian character  and  Indian  customs.  As  was  usual,  Arrow- 
head had  received  one  half  of  his  compensation  previously 
to  quitting  the  Mohawk ;  and  his  refraining  to  demand  the 
residue  was  a  proof  of  that  conscientious  consideration  of 
mutual  rights  that  quite  as  often  distinguishes  the  morality 
of  a  savage  as  that  of  a  Christian.  To  one  as  upright  as 
Pathfinder,  Arrowhead  had  conducted  himself  with  delicacy 
and  propriety,  though  it  would  have  been  more  in  accord- 
ance with  his  own  frank  nature,  to  have  met  the  father,  and 
abided  by  the  simple  truth.  Still,  accustomed  to  the  ways 
of  the  Indians,  he  saw  nothing  out  of  the  ordinary  track  of 
things  in  the  course  the  other  had  taken. 

' '  This  runs  like  water  flowing  down  the  hill,  Arrowhead, ' ' 
he  answered,  after  a  little  reflection,  "  and  truth  obliges  me 
to  own  it.  It  was  the  gift  of  a  redskin  to  act  in  this  way, 
though  I  do  not  think  it  was  the  gift  of  a  pale-face.  You 
would  not  look  upon  the  grief  of  the  girl's  father?  " 

Arrowhead  made  a  quiet  inclination  of  the  body,  as  if  to 
assent. 

"One  thing  more  my  brother  will  tell  me,"  continued 
Pathfinder,  ' '  and  there  will  be  no  cloud  between  his  wig- 
wam and  the  strong-house  of  the  Yengeese.  If  he  can  blow 


234  tlbe  patfofinfcer 


away  this  bit  of  fog,  his  friends  will  look  at  him,  as  he  sits 
by  his  own  fire,  and  he  can  look  at  them,  as  they  lay  aside 
their  arms,  and  forget  that  they  are  warriors.  Why  was  the 
head  of  Arrowhead's  canoe  looking  towards  the  St.  Law- 
rence, where  there  are  none  but  enemies  to  be  found  ? ' ' 

"Why  were  the  Pathfinder  and  his  friends  looking  the 
same  way?"  asked  the  Tuscarora,  calmly.  "A  Tuscarora 
may  look  in  the  same  direction  as  a  Yengeese." 

"  Why,  to  own  the  truth,  Arrowhead,  we  are  out  scoutin', 
like;  that  is  sailin' — in  other  words,  we  are  on  the  king's 
business,  and  we  have  a  right  to  be  here,  though  we  may 
not  have  a  right  to  say  why  we  are  here. ' ' 

' '  Arrowhead  saw  the  big  canoe,  and  he  loves  to  look  on 
the  face  of  Eau-douce.  He  was  going  towards  the  sun  at 
evening,  in  order  to  seek  his  wigwam  ;  but  finding  that  the 
young  sailor  was  going  the  other  way,  he  turned  that  he 
might  look  in  the  same  direction.  Eau- douce  and  Arrow- 
head were  together  on  the  last  trail." 

"This  may  all  be  true,  Tuscarora,  and  you  are  welcome. 
You  shall  eat  of  our  venison,  and  then  we  must  separate. 
The  setting  sun  is  behind  us,  and  both  of  us  move  quick : 
my  brother  will  get  too  far  from  that  which  he  seeks,  unless 
he  turns  round." 

Pathfinder  now  returned  to  the  others,  and  repeated  the 
result  of  his  examination.  He  appeared  himself  to  believe 
that  the  account  of  Arrowhead  might  be  true,  though  he 
admitted  that  caution  would  be  prudent  with  one  he  disliked  ; 
but  his  auditors,  Jasper  excepted,  seemed  less  disposed  to 
put  faith  in  the  explanations. 

This  chap  must  be  ironed  at  once,  brother  Dunham, ' ' 
said  Cap,  as  soon  as  Pathfinder  finished  his  narration  ;  "  he 
must  be  turned  over  to  the  master-at-arms,  if  there  is  any 
such  officer  on  fresh  water,  and  a  court-martial  ought  to  be 
ordered  as  soon  as  we  reach  port." 

"  I  think  it  wisest  to  detain  the  fellow,"  the  sergeant  an- 
swered, "but  irons  are  unnecessary  so  long  as  he  remains 
in  the  cutter.  In  the  morning  the  matter  shall  be  inquired 
into." 

Arrowhead  was  now  summoned  and  told  the  decision. 


patbfinfcer  235 


The  Indian  listened  gravely,  and  made  no  objections.  On 
the  contrary,  he  submitted  with  the  calm  and  reserved  dig- 
nity with  which  the  American  aborigines  are  known  to  yield 
to  fate ;  and  he  stood  apart,  an  attentive  but  calm  observer 
of  what  was  passing.  Jasper  caused  the  cutter's  sails  to  be 
filled,  and  the  Scud  resumed  her  course. 

It  was  now  getting  towards  the  hour  to  set  the  watch,  and 
when  it  was  usual  to  retire  for  the  night.  Most  of  the  party 
went  below,  leaving  no  one  on  deck  but  Cap,  the  sergeant, 
Jasper,  and  two  of  the  crew.  Arrowhead  and  his  wife  also 
remained,  the  former  standing  aloof  in  proud  reserve,  and  the 
latter  exhibiting,  by  her  attitude  and  passiveness,  the  meek 
humility  that  characterizes  an  Indian  woman. 

' '  You  will  find  a  place  for  your  wife  below,  Arrowhead, 
where  my  daughter  will  attend  to  her  wants, ' '  said  the  ser- 
geant, kindly,  who  was  himself  on  the  point  of  quitting  the 
deck  ;  "  yonder  is  a  sail,  where  you  may  sleep  yourself." 

1 '  I  thank  my  father.  The  Tuscaroras  are  not  poor.  The 
woman  will  look  for  my  blankets  in  the  canoe. ' ' 

"As  you  wish,  my  friend.  We  think  it  necessary  to 
detain  you,  but  not  necessary  to  confine,  or  to  maltreat  you. 
Send  your  squaw  into  the  canoe  for  the  blankets,  and  you 
may  follow  her  yourself,  and  hand  us  up  the  paddles.  As 
there  may  be  some  sleepy  heads  in  the  Scud,  Eau-douce," 
added  the  sergeant,  in  a  lower  tone,  ' '  it  may  be  well  to 
secure  the  paddles. ' ' 

Jasper  assented,  and  Arrowhead  and  his  wife,  with  whom 
resistance  appeared  to  be  out  of  the  question,  silently  com- 
plied with  the  directions.  A  few  expressions  of  sharp  rebuke 
passed  from  the  Indian  to  his  wife,  while  both  were  employed 
in  the  canoe,  which  the  latter  received  with  submissive  quiet, 
immediately  repairing  an  error  she  had  made,  by  laying 
aside  the  blanket  she  had  taken,  and  searching  for  another 
that  was  more  to  her  tyrant's  mind. 

"Come,  bear  a  hand,  Arrowhead,"  said  the  sergeant,  who 
stood  on  the  gunwale,  overlooking  the  movements  of  the 
two,  which  were  proceeding  too  slowly  for  the  impatience  of 
a  drowsy  man  ;  "it  is  getting  late  ;  and  we  soldiers  have 
such  a  thing  as  reveille — early  to  bed  and  early  to  rise." 


236  Ube  patbfinfcer 


"  Arrowhead  is  coming,"  was  the  answer,  as  theTuscarora 
stepped  towards  the  head  of  his  canoe. 

One  blow  of  his  keen  knife  severed  the  rope  which  held  the 
boat,  when  the  cutter  glanced  ahead,  leaving  the  light  bub- 
ble of  bark,  which  instantly  lost  its  way,  almost  stationary. 
So  suddenly  and  dexterously  was  this  manoeuvre  performed, 
that  the  canoe  was  on  the  lee  quarter  of  the  Scud,  before  the 
sergeant  was  aware  of  the  artifice,  and  quite  in  her  wake, 
ere  he  had  time  to  announce  it  to  his  companions. 

"  Hard-a-lee  !  "  shouted  Jasper,  letting  fly  the  jib-sheet 
with  his  own  hands,  when  the  cutter  came  swiftly  up  to  the 
breeze,  with  all  her  canvas  flapping,  or  was  running  into  the 
wind's  eye,  as  seamen  term  it,  until  the  light  craft  was  a 
hundred  feet  to  windward  of  her  former  position.  Quick 
and  dexterous  as  was  this  movement,  and  ready  as  had  been 
the  expedient,  it  was  not  quicker  or  more  ready  than  that  of 
the  Tuscarora.  With  an  intelligence  that  denoted  some 
familiarity  with  vessels,  he  had  seized  his  paddle,  and  was 
already  skimming  the  water,  aided  by  the  efforts  of  his  wife. 
The  direction  he  took  was  southwesterly,  or  on  a  line  that 
led  him  equally  towards  the  wind  and  the  shore,  while  it  also 
kept  him  so  far  aloof  from  the  cutter,  as  to  avoid  the  danger 
of  the  latter' s  falling  onboard  of  him,  when  she  filled  on  the 
other  tack.  Swiftly  as  the  Scud  had  shot  into  the  wind,  and 
far  as  she  had  forged  ahead,  Jasper  knew  it  was  necessary  to 
cast  her,  ere  she  had  lost  all  her  way  ;  and  it  was  not  two 
minutes  from  the  time  the  helm  had  been  put  down,  before 
the  lively  little  craft  was  aback  forward,  and  rapidly  falling 
off,  in  order  to  allow  her  sails  to  fill  on  the  opposite  tack. 

"He  will  escape !  "  said  Jasper,  the  instant  he  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  relative  bearings  of  the  cutter  and  the  canoe. 
"The  cunning  knave  is  paddling  dead  to  windward,  and  the 
Scud  can  never  overtake  him  !  " 

"  You  have  a  canoe  ! "  exclaimed  the  sergeant,  manifesting 
the  eagerness  of  a  boy  to  join  in  the  pursuit,  "  let  us  launch 
it,  and  give  chase  !" 

"T  will  be  useless.  If  Pathfinder  had  been  on  deck,  there 
might  have  been  a  chance,  but  there  is  none  now.  To 
launch  the  canoe  would  have  taken  three  or  four  minutes, 


jpatbfinfcer  237 


and  the  time  lost  would  have  been  sufficient  for  the  purposes 
of  Arrowhead." 

Both  Cap  and  the  sergeant  saw  the  truth  of  this,  which 
would  have  been  nearly  self-evident  even  to  one  unaccustomed 
to  vessels.  The  shore  was  distant  less  than  half  a  mile,  and 
the  canoe  was  already  glancing  into  its  shadows  at  a  rate  to 
show  that  it  would  reach  the  land  ere  its  pursuers  could 
probably  get  half  the  distance.  The  canoe,  itself,  might  have 
been  seized,  but  it  would  have  been  a  useless  prize  ;  for 
Arrowhead  in  the  woods  would  be  more  likely  to  reach  the 
other  shore  without  detection,  than  if  he  still  possessed  the 
means  to  venture  on  the  lake  again  ;  though  it  might  be,  and 
probably  would  be,  a  greater  bodily  labor  to  himself.  The 
helm  of  the  Scud  was  reluctantly  put  up  again,  and  the  cutter 
wore  short  round  on  her  heel,  coming  up  to  her  course  on 
the  other  tack,  as  if  acting  on  instinct.  All  this  was  done 
by  Jasper  in  profound  silence,  his  assistants  understanding 
what  was  necessary,  and  lending  their  aid  in  a  sort  of 
mechanical  imitation.  While  these  manoeuvres  were  in  the 
course  of  execution,  Cap  took  the  sergeant  by  a  button  and 
led  him  towards  the  cabin-door,  where  he  was  out  of  ear- 
shot, and  began  to  unlock  his  stores  of  thought. 

"  Harkee,  brother  Dunham,"  he  said,  with  an  ominous 
face,  ' '  this  is  a  matter  that  requires  mature  thought,  and 
much  circumspection." 

"The  life  of  a  soldier,  brother  Cap,  is  one  of  constant 
thought  and  circumspection.  On  this  frontier  were  we  to 
overlook  either,  our  scalps  might  be  taken  from  our  heads  in 
the  first  nap. ' ' 

' '  But  I  consider  this  capture  of  Arrowhead  as  a  circum- 
stance ;  and  I  might  add  his  escape  as  another.  This  Jasper 
Fresh-water  must  look  to  it !  " 

"They  are  both  circumstances,  truly,  brother;  but  they 
tell  different  ways.  If  it  is  a  circumstance  against  the  lad, 
that  the  Indian  has  escaped,  it  is  a  circumstance  in  his  favor 
that  he  was  first  taken." 

"  Ay,  ay,  but  two  circumstances  do  not  contradict  each 
other  like  two  negatives.  If  you  will  follow  the  advice  of 
an  old  seaman,  sergeant,  not  a  moment  is  to  be  lost  in  tak- 


238  Ube  patbfinfcer 

ing  the  steps  necessary  for  the  security  of  the  vessel  and  all 
on, board  of  her.  The  cutter  is  now  slipping  through  the 
water  at  the  rate  of  six  knots,  and  as  the  distances  are  so 
short  on  this  bit  of  a  pond,  we  may  all  find  ourselves  in  a 
French  port  before  morning,  and  in  a  French  prison  before 
night. ' ' 

"  This  may  be  true  enough  ;  what  would  you  advise  me 
to  do,  brother?  " 

"In  my  opinion  you  should  put  this  Master  Fresh- water 
under  arrest  on  the  spot,  send  him  below  under  the  charge 
of  a  sentinel,  and  transfer  the  command  of  the  cutter  to  me. 
All  this  you  have  power  to  perform,  the  craft  belonging  to 
the  army,  and  you  being  the  commanding  officer  of  the 
troops  present." 

Sergeant  Dunham  deliberated  more  than  an  hour  on  the 
propriety  of  this  proposal ;  for,  though  sufficiently  prompt 
when  his  mind  was  really  made  up,  he  was  habitually 
thoughtful  and  wary.  The  habit  of  superintending  the  per- 
sonal police  of  the  garrison  had  made  him  acquainted  with 
character,  and  he  had  long  been  disposed  to  think  well  of 
Jasper.  Still,  that  subtle  poison,  suspicion,  had  entered  his 
soul,  and  so  much  were  the  artifices  and  intrigues  of  the 
French  dreaded,  that,  especially  warned  as  he  had  been  by 
his  commander,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  the  recollection  of 
years  of  good  conduct  should  vanish  under  the  influence  of  a 
distrust  so  keen,  and  seemingly  so  plausible.  In  this  em- 
barrassment the  sergeant  consulted  the  quartermaster,  whose 
opinion,  as  his  superior,  he  felt  bound  to  respect,  though,  at 
the  moment,  independent  of  his  control.  It  is  an  unfortu- 
nate occurrence  for  one  who  is  in  a  dilemma,  to  ask  advice 
of  another  who  is  desirous  of  standing  well  in  his  favor,  the 
party  consulted  being  almost  certain  to  try  to  think  in  the 
manner  which  will  be  the  most  agreeable  to  the  party  con- 
sulting. In  the  present  instance  it  was  equally  unfortunate 
as  respects  a  candid  consideration  of  the  subject,  that  Cap, 
instead  of  the  sergeant  himself,  made  the  statement  of  the 
case  ;  for  the  earnest  old  sailor  was  not  backward  in  letting 
his  listener  perceive  to  which  side  he  was  desirous  that  the 
quartermaster  should  lean.  Lieutenant  Muir  was  much  too 


{patbtiu&er  239 


politic  to  offeiid  the  uncle  and  father  of  the  women  he  hoped 
and  expected  to  win,  had  he  really  thought  the  case  ad- 
mitted of  doubt  ;  but  in  the  manner  in  which  the  facts  were 
submitted  to  him,  he  was  seriously  inclined  to  think  that 
it  would  be  well  to  put  the  control  of  the  Scud  temporarily 
into  the  management  of  Cap,  as  a  precaution  against  treach- 
ery. This  opinion  then  decided  the  sergeant,  who  forthwith 
set  about  the  execution  of  the  necessary  measures. 

Without  entering  into  any  explanations,  Sergeant  Dunham 
simply  informed  Jasper  that  he  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  deprive 
him,  temporarily,  of  the  command  of  the  cutter,  and  to  con- 
fer it  on  his  own  brother-in-law.  A  natural  and  involuntary 
burst  of  surprise,  which  escaped  the  young  man,  was  met  by 
a  quiet  remark  reminding  him  that  military  service  was  often 
of  a  nature  that  required  concealment,  and  a  declaration  that 
the  present  duty  was  of  such  a  character  that  this  particular 
arrangement  had  become  indispensable.  Although  Jasper's 
astonishment  remained  undiminished,  the  sergeant  cautiously 
abstaining  from  making  any  allusion  to  his  suspicions,  the 
young  man  was  accustomed  to  obey  with  military  submis- 
sion ;  and  he  quietly  acquiesced,  with  his  own  mouth  direct- 
ing the  little  crew  to  receive  their  further  orders  from  Cap 
until  another  change  should  be  effected.  When,  however, 
he  was  told  the  case  required  that  not  only  he  himself,  but 
his  principal  assistant,  who,  on  account  of  his  long  acquain- 
tance with  the  lake,  was  usually  termed  the  pilot,  were  to 
remain  below,  there  was  an  alteration  in  his  countenance  and 
manner  that  denoted  deep  mortification,  though  it  was  so 
well  mastered  as  to  leave  even  the  distrustful  Cap  in  doubt 
as  to  its  meaning.  As  a  matter  of  course,  however,  when 
distnist  exists,  it  was  not  long  before  the  worst  construction 
was  put  upon  it. 

As  soon  as  Jasper  and  the  pilot  were  below,  the  sentinel 
at  the  hatch  received  private  orders  to  pay  particular  atten- 
tion to  both  ;  to  allow  neither  to  come  on  deck  again  with- 
out giving  instant  notice  to  the  person  who  might  then  be 
in  charge  of  the  cutter,  and  to  insist  on  his  return  below  as 
soon  as  possible.  This  precaution,  however,  was  uncalled 
for,  Jasper  and  his  assistant  both  throwing  themselves 


24o  ttbe  fratbflnfcer 

silently  on  their  pallets,  which  neither  quitted  again  that 
night. 

"  And  now,  sergeant,"  said  Cap,  as  soon  as  he  found  him- 
self master  of  the  deck,  "  you  will  just  have  the  goodness  to 
give  me  the  courses  and  distances,  that  I  may  see  the  boat 
keeps  her  head  the  right  way." 

"I  know  nothing  of  either,  brother  Cap,"  returned  Dun- 
ham, not  a  little  embarrassed  at  the  question.  "We  must 
make  the  best  of  our  way  to  the  station  among  the  Thou- 
sand Islands,  '  where  we  shall  land,  relieve  the  party  that 
is  already  out,  and  get  information  for  our  future  govern- 
ment.' That 's  it,  nearly  word  for  word,  as  it  stands  in  the 
written  orders." 

"  But  you  can  muster  a  chart — something  in  the  way  of 
bearings  and  distances,  that  I  may  see  the  road  ? ' ' 

"  I  do  not  think  Jasper  ever  had  anything  of  the  sort  to 
go  by." 

"  No  chart,  Sergeant  Dunham  !  " 

"  Not  a  scrap  of  a  pen,  even.  Our  sailors  navigate  this 
lake  without  any  aid  from  maps." 

"The  devil  they  do  !  They  must  be  regular  Yahoos. 
And  do  you  suppose,  Sergeant  Dunham,  that  I  can  find  one 
island  out  of  a  thousand,  without  knowing  its  name  or  its 
position — without  even  a  course  or  a  distance?  " 

"  As  for  the  name,  brother  Cap,  you  need  not  be  particu- 
lar, for  not  one  of  the  whole  thousand  has  a  name,  and  so  a 
mistake  can  never  be  made  on  that  score.  As  for  the  posi- 
tion, never  having  been  there  myself,  I  can  tell  you  nothing 
about  it,  nor  do  I  think  its  position  of  any  particular  conse- 
quence, provided  we  find  the  spot.  Perhaps  one  of  the 
hands  on  deck  can  tell  us  the  way." 

Hold  on,  sergeant — hold  on,  a  moment,  if  you  please, 
Sergeant  Dunham.  If  I  am  to  command  this  craft,  it  must 
be  done,  if  you  please,  without  holding  any  councils  of  war 
with  the  cook  and  cabin-boy.  A  shipmaster  is  a  ship- 
master, and  he  must  have  an  opinion  of  his  own,  even  if  it  be 
a  wrong  one.  I  suppose  you  know  service  well  enough  to 
understand  that  it  is  better  in  a  commander  to  go  wrong, 
than  to  go  nowhere.  At  all  events,  the  Lord  High  Admi- 


Ube  patbfinfcer  241 


ral  couldn't  command  a  yawl  with  dignity,  if  he  consulted 
the  coxswain  every  time  he  wished  to  go  ashore.  No,  sir, 

if  I  sink,  I  sink  ;  but  d e,  I  '11  go  down  ship-shape  and 

with  dignity." 

"  But,  brother  Cap,  I  have  no  wish  to  go  down  anywhere, 
unless  it  be  to  the  station  among  the  Thousand  Islands, 
whither  we  are  bound. ' ' 

"Well,  well,  sergeant,  rather  than  ask  advice,  that  is, 
direct,  barefaced  advice,  of  a  foremast  hand,  or  any  other 
than  a  quarter-deck  officer,  I  would  go  round  to  the  whole 
thousand  and  examine  them  one  by  one,  until  we  got  the 
right  haven.  But,  there  is  such  a  thing  as  coming  at  an 
opinion  without  manifesting  ignorance,  and  I  will  manage 
to  rouse  all  there  is,  out  of  these  hands,  and  make  them 
think,  all  the  while,  that  I  am  cramming  them  with  my  own 
experience.  We  are  sometimes  obliged  to  use  the  glass  at 
sea  when  there  is  nothing  in  sight,  or  to  heave  the  lead 
long  before  we  strike  soundings.  I  suppose  you  know  in 
the  army,  sergeant,  that  the  next  thing  to  knowing  that 
which  is  desirable,  is  to  seem  to  know  all  about  it.  When 
a  youngster,  I  sailed  two  v'y'ges  with  a  man  who  navigated 
his  ship  pretty  much  by  the  latter  sort  of  information,  which 
sometimes  answers." 

' '  I  know  we  are  steering  in  the  right  direction,  at  pres- 
ent," returned  the  sergeant,  "but  in  the  course  of  a  few 
hours  we  shall  be  up  with  a  headland,  where  we  must  feel 
our  way  with  more  caution." 

"  Leave  me  to  pump  the  man  at  the  wheel,  brother,  and 
you  shall  see  that  I  will  make  him  suck,  in  a  very  few 
minutes." 

Cap  and  the  sergeant  now  walked  aft,  until  they  stood  by 
the  sailor  who  was  at  the  helm,  Cap  maintaining  an  air  of 
security  and  tranquillity,  like  one  who  was  entirely  confident 
of  his  own  powers. 

"This  is  a  wholesome  air,  my  lad,"  Cap  observed,  as  it 
might  be  incidentally,  and  in  the  manner  that  a  superior  on 
board  a  vessel  sometimes  condescends  to  use  to  a  favored 
inferior.  ' '  Of  course  you  have  it  in  this  fashion  off  the 
land,  every  night  ? 


242  Tlbe  jpatbfinber 


"At  this  season  of  the  year,  sir,"  the  man  returned,  touch- 
ing his  hat,  out  of  respect  to  his  new  commander  and  Ser- 
geant Dunham's  connection. 

' '  The  same  thing,  I  take  it,  among  the  Thousand  Islands  ? 
The  wind  will  stand  of  course,  though  we  shall  then  have 
land  on  every  side  of  us." 

"  When  we  get  farther  east,  the  wind  will  probably  shift, 
for  there  can  then  be  no  particular  land  breeze." 

' '  Ay,  ay — so  much  for  your  fresh  water  !  It  has  always 
some  trick  that  is  opposed  to  nature.  Now,  down  among 
the  West  India  Islands,  one  is  just  as  certain  of  having  a 
land  breeze  as  he  is  of  having  a  sea  breeze.  In  that  respect 
there  is  no  difference,  though  it 's  quite  in  rule  it  should  be 
different  up  here,  on  this  bit  of  fresh  water.  Of  course,  my 
lad,  you  know  all  about  these  said  Thousand  Islands  ? ' ' 

"  Ivord  bless  you,  Master  Cap,  nobody  knows  all  about 
them,  or  anything  about  them.  They  are  a  puzzle  to  the 
oldest  sailor  on  the  lake,  and  we  don't  pretend  to  know 
even  their  names.  For  that  matter,  most  of  them  have  no 
more  names  than  a  child  that  dies  before  it  is  christened." 

"Are  you  a  Roman  Catholic?"  demanded  the  sergeant, 
sharply. 

"No,  sir;  nor  anything  else.  I 'm  a  generalizer  about 
religion,  never  troubling  that  which  don't  trouble  me." 

"  Hum  !  a  generalizer  ;  that  is,  no  doubt,  one  of  the  new 
sects  that  afflict  the  country!"  muttered  Mr.  Dunham, 
whose  grandfather  had  been  a  New  Jersey  Quaker,  his 
father  a  Presbyterian,  and  who  had  joined  the  Church  of 
England  himself,  after  he  entered  the  army. 

"  I  take  it,  John,"  resumed  Cap — "  your  name  is  Jack,  I 
believe?" 

"No,  sir ;  I  am  called  Robert." 

"Ay,  Robert;  it's  very  much  the  same  thing— Jack 
or  Bob— we  use  the  two  indifferently.  I  say,  Bob,  it 's  good 
holding  ground,  is  it,  down  at  this  same  station  for  which 
we  are  bound?" 

"Bless  you,  sir,  I  know  no  more  about  it  than  one  of  the 
Mohawks,  or  a  soldier  of  the  55th." 

"  Did  you  never  anchor  there  ?  " 


tTbe 


243 


"  Never,  sir.  Master  Bau-douce  always  makes  fast  to  the 
shore. ' ' 

' '  But  in  running  in  for  the  town,  you  kept  the  lead  going, 
out  of  question,  and  must  have  tallowed  as  usual  ?  " 

1 '  Tallow  !  and  town,  too  !  Bless  your  heart,  Master  Cap, 
there  is  no  more  town  than  there  is  on  your  chin,  and  not 
half  as  much  tallow." 

The  sergeant  smiled  grimly,  but  his  brother-in-law  did 
not  detect  this  proof  of  facetiousness. 

' '  No  church- tower,  nor  light,  nor  fort,  ha  !  There  is  a 
garrison,  as  you  call  it  hereaway,  at  least." 

"Ask  Sergeant  Dunham,  sir,  if  you  wish  to  know  that. 
All  the  garrison  is  on  board  the  Scud." 

"  But,  in  running  in,  Bob,  which  of  the  channels  do  you 
think  the  best,  the  one  you  went  last,  or — or — or — ay,  or 
the  other?" 

"  I  can't  say,  sir.     I  know  nothing  of  either." 

"  You  didn't  go  to  sleep,  fellow,  at  the  wheel,  did  you? " 

"  Not  at  the  wheel,  sir,  but  down  in  the  fore  peak,  in  my 
berth.  Eau-douce  sent  us  below,  sogers  and  all,  with  the 
exception  of  the  pilot,  and  we  know  no  more  of  the  road 
than  if  we  had  never  been  over  it.  This  he  has  always 
done,  in  going  in  and  coming  out ;  and,  for  the  life  of  me, 
I  could  tell  you  nothing  of  the  channel  or  of  the  course, 
after  we  are  once  fairly  up  with  the  islands.  No  one  knows 
anything  of  either,  but  Jasper  and  the  pilot." 

' '  Here  is  a  circumstance  for  you,  sergeant !  said  Cap, 
leading  his  brother-in-law  a  little  aside ;  ' '  there  is  no  one 
on  board  to  pump,  for  they  all  suck  from  ignorance,  at  the 
first  stroke  of  the  brake.  How  the  devil  am  I  to  find  the 
way  to  this  station  ?  ' ' 

"Sure  enough,  brother  Cap;  your  question  is  more 
easily  put  than  answered.  Is  there  no  such  thing  as  figur- 
ing it  out  by  navigation  ?  I  thought  you  salt-water  mariners 
were  able  to  do  as  small  a  thing  as  that !  I  have  often  read 
of  their  discovering  islands,  surely." 

"That  you  have,  brother;  that  you  have;  and  this  dis- 
covery would  be  the  greatest  of  them  all,  for  it  would  not 
only  be  discovering  one  island,  but  one  island  out  of  a  thou- 


244  Ube  ipatbfinber 

sand.  I  might  make  out  to  pick  up  a  single  needle  on  this 
deck,  old  as  I  am,  but  I  much  doubt  if  I  could  pick  one  out 
of  a  haystack." 

"Still,  the  sailors  of  the  lake  have  a  method  of  finding 
the  places  they  wish  to  go  to." 

"If  I  have  understood  you,  sergeant,  this  station,  or 
block-house,  is  particularly  private  ?  " 

"It  is,  indeed;  the  utmost  care  having  been  taken  to 
prevent  a  knowledge  of  its  position  from  reaching  the 
enemy." 

"And  you  expect  me,  a  stranger  on  your  lake,  to  find 
this  place  without  chart,  course,  distance,  latitude,  longitude, 

or  soundings — ay,  d e,  or  tallow  !    Allow  me  to  ask  if 

you  think  a  mariner  runs  by  his  nose,  like  one  of  Path- 
finder's hounds  ? " 

"Well,  brother,  you  may  yet  learn  something  by  question- 
ing the  young  man  at  the  helm  ;  I  can  hardly  think  that  he 
is  as  ignorant  as  he  pretends  to  be." 

"  Hum —  this  looks  like  another  circumstance  !  For  that 
matter,  the  case  is  getting  to  be  so  full  of  circumstances,  that 
one  hardly  knows  how  to  foot  up  the  evidence.  But  we 
will  soon  see  how  much  the  lad  knows. ' ' 

Cap  and  the  sergeant  now  returned  to  their  station  near 
the  helm,  and  the  former  renewed  his  inquiries. 

"  Do  you  happen  to  know  what  may  be  the  latitude  and 
longitude  of  this  said  island,  my  lad  ?  "  he  asked. 
"The  what,  sir?" 

"  Why,  the  latitude  or  longitude  ;  one  or  both ;  I  'm  not 
particular  which,  as  I  merely  inquire  in  order  to  see  how 
they  bring  up  young  men  on  this  bit  of  fresh  water." 

"I'm  not  particular  about  either,  myself,  sir,  and  so  I  do 
not  happen  to  know  what  you  mean." 

"  Not  what  I  mean  !    You  know  what  latitude  is?  " 
"Not  I,  sir,"  returned  the  man,  hesitating,    "though  I 
believe  it  is  French  for  the  upper  lakes." 

"  Whe-e-e-w  !  "  whistled  Cap,  drawing  out  his  breath,  like 
the  broken  stop  of  an  organ;  "latitude,  French  for  upper 
lakes  !  Harkee,  young  man ;  do  you  know  what  longitude 
means? " 


Ube  jpatbffnfcer  245 


"  I  believe  I  do,  sir ;  that  is  five  feet  six,  the  regulation 
height  for  soldiers  in  the  king's  service." 

"There's  the  longitude  found  out  for  you,  sergeant,  in 
the  rattling  of  a  brace-block  !  You  have  some  notion  about 
a  degree,  and  minutes,  and  seconds,  I  hope  ?  ' ' 

' '  Yes,  sir ;  degree  means  my  betters,  and  minutes  and 
seconds  are  for  the  short  or  long  log-lines.  We  all  know 
these  things  as  well  as  the  salt-water  people. ' ' 

"D e,  brother  Dunham,  if  I  think  even  Faith  can  get 

along  on  this  lake,  much  as  they  say  it  can  do  with  moun- 
tains. I  'm  sure  character  is  in  no  security.  Well,  my  lad, 
you  understand  the  azimuth,  and  measuring  distances,  and 
how  to  box  the  compass." 

"  As  for  the  first,  sir,  I  can't  say  I  do.  The  distances  we 
all  know,  as  we  measure  them  from  point  to  point ;  and  as 
for  boxing  the  compass,  I  will  turn  my  back  to  no  admiral 
in  his  majesty's  fleet.  Nothe-nothe  and  by  east,  nothe- 
nothe-east,  nothe-east  and  nothe,  nothe-east ;  nothe-east  and 
by  east,  east-nothe-east,  east-and-by-nothe,  east — " 

"That  will  do— that  will  do.  You  '11  bring  about  a  shift 
of  wind,  if  you  go  on  in  this  manner.  I  see  very  plainly, 
sergeant,"  walking  away  again,  and  dropping  his  voice, 
"  we  've  nothing  to  hope  for  from  that  chap.  I  '11  stand  on 
two  hours  longer  on  this  tack,  when  we  '11  heave-to,  and  get 
the  soundings  ;  after  which  we  will  be  governed  by  circum- 
stances." 

To  this  the  sergeant,  who,  to  coin  a  word,  was  very  much 
of  an  idiosyncratist,  made  no  objections  ;  and,  as  the  wind 
grew  lighter,  as  usual  with  the  advance  of  night,  and  there 
were  no  immediate  obstacles  to  the  navigation,  he  made  a 
bed  of  a  sail,  on  deck,  and  was  soon  lost  in  the  sound  sleep 
of  a  soldier.  Cap  continued  to  walk  the  deck,  for  he  was 
one  whose  iron  frame  set  fatigue  at  defiance,  and  not  once 
that  night  did  he  close  his  eyes. 

It  was  broad  daylight  when  Sergeant  Dunham  awoke,  and 
the  exclamation  of  surprise  that  escaped  him,  as  he  rose  to 
his  feet,  and  began  to  look  about  him,  was  stronger  than  it 
was  usual  for  one  so  drilled  to  suffer  to  be  heard.  He  found 
the  weather  entirely  changed ;  the  view  bounded  by  driving 


246  tTbe  patbfinfcer 

mist,  that  limited  the  visible  horizon  to  a  circle  of  about  a 
mile' in  diameter,  the  lake  raging  and  covered  with  foam,  and 
the  Scud  lying-to.  A  brief  conversation  with  his  brother-in- 
law  let  him  into  the  secrets  of  all  these  sudden  changes. 

According  to  the  account  of  Master  Cap,  the  wind  had 
died  away  to  a  calm  about  midnight,  or  just  as  he  was 
thinking  of  heaving-to,  to  sound,  for  islands  ahead  were  be- 
ginning to  be  seen.  At  one  A.M.  it  began  to  blow  from  the 
northeast,  accompanied  by  a  drizzle,  and  he  stood  off  to  the 
northward  and  westward,  knowing  that  the  coast  of  New 
York  lay  in  the  opposite  direction.  At  half-past  one,  he 
stowed  the  stay-sail,  reefed  the  mainsail,  and  took  the  bon- 
net off  the  jib.  At  two  he  was  compelled  to  get  a  second 
reef  aft ;  and  by  half-past  two  he  had  put  a  balance  reef  in 
the  sail,  and  was  lying-to. 

"  I  can't  say  but  the  boat  behaves  well,  sergeant,"  the  old 
sailor  added  ;  but  it  blows  forty-two  pounders  !  I  had  no 
idee  there  were  any  such  currents  of  air  up  here  on  this  bit 
of  fresh  water,  though  I  care  not  the  knotting  of  a  yarn  for 
it,  as  your  lake  has  now  somewhat  of  a  natural  look,  and  " — 
spitting  from  his  mouth,  with  distaste,  a  dash  of  the  spray 

that  had  just  wetted  his  face — "  and  if  this  d d  water  had 

a  savor  of  salt  about  it,  one  might  be  comfortable. ' ' 

"  How  long  have  you  been  heading  in  this  direction, 
brother  Cap  ? ' '  inquired  the  prudent  soldier ;  ' '  and  at  what 
rate  may  we  be  going  through  the  water?  " 

"  Why,  two  or  three  hours,  mayhap,  and  she  went  like  a 
horse  for  the  first  pair  of  them.  O  !  we '  ve  a  fine  offing  now, 
for,  to  own  the  truth,  little  relishing  the  neighborhood  of 
them  said  islands,  although  they  were  to  windward,  I  took 
the  helm  myself,  and  run  her  off  free,  for  some  league  or  two. 
We  are  well  to  leeward  of  them,  I  '11  engage.  I  say  to  lee- 
ward, for  though  one  might  wish  to  be  well  to  windward  of 
one  island,  or  even  half  a  dozen,  when  it  comes  to  a  thousand, 
the  better  way  is  to  give  it  up  at  once,  and  to  slide  down 
under  their  lee  as  fast  as  possible.  No,  no  ;  there  they  are, 
up  yonder  in  the  drizzle,— and  there  they  may  stay,  for  any- 
thing Charles  Cap  cares." 

"As  the  north  shore  lies  only  some  five  or  six  leagues 


TTbe 


247 


from  us,  brother,  and  I  know  there  is  a  large  bay  in  that 
quarter,  might  it  not  be  well  to  consult  some  of  the  crew 
concerning  our  position,  if  indeed  we  do  not  call  up  Jasper 
Eau-douce,  and  tell  him  to  carry  us  back  to  Oswego  ?  It  is 
quite  impossible  we  should  ever  reach  the  station  with  this 
wind  directly  in  our  teeth." 

' '  There  are  several  serious  professional  reasons,  sergeant, 
against  all  your  propositions.  In  the  first  place,  an  admis- 
sion of  ignorance  on  the  part  of  a  commander  would  destroy 
discipline.  No  matter,  brother,  I  understand  your  shake  of 
the  head,  but  nothing  capsizes  discipline  so  much,  as  to  con- 
fess ignorance.  I  once  knew  a  master  of  a  vessel  who  went 
a  week  on  a  wrong  course,  rather  than  allow  he  had  made  a 
mistake  ;  and  it  was  surprising  how  much  he  rose  in  the 
opinions  of  his  people,  just  because  they  could  not  under- 
stand him." 

" That  may  do  on  saltwater,  brother  Cap;  but  it  will 
hardly  do  on  fresh.  Rather  than  wreck  my  command  on 
the  Canada  shore,  I  shall  feel  it  my  duty  to  take  Jasper  out 
of  arrest." 

' '  And  make  a  haven  in  Frontenac  !  No,  sergeant,  the 
Scud  is  in  good  hands,  and  will  now  learn  something  of  sea- 
manship. We  have  a  fine  offing,  and  no  one  but  a  madman 
would  think  of  going  upon  a  coast  in  a  gale  like  this.  I  shall 
wear  every  watch,  and  then  we  shall  be  safe  against  all 
dangers  but  those  of  the  drift,  which,  in  a  light,  low  craft 
like  this,  without  top-hamper,  will  be  next  to  nothing. 
I<eave  it  all  to  me,  sergeant,  and  I  pledge  you  the  character 
of  Charles  Cap,  that  it  will  all  go  well." 

Sergeant  Dunham  was  fain  to  yield.  He  had  great  con- 
fidence in  his  connection's  professional  skill,  and  hoped  that 
he  would  take  such  care  of  the  cutter  as  would  amply  justify 
his  good  opinion.  On  the  other  hand,  as  distrust,  like  love, 
grows  by  what  it  feeds  on,  he  entertained  so  much  appre- 
hension of  treachery,  that  he  was  quite  willing  any  one  but 
Jasper  should,  just  then,  have  the  control  of  the  fate  of  the 
whole  party.  Truth,  moreover,  compels  us  to  admit  another 
motive.  The  particular  duty  on  which  he  was  now  sent 
should  have  been  confided  to  a  commissioned  officer,  of 


248 


tlbe  patbffnDer 


right ;  and  Major  Duncan  had  excited  a  good  deal  of  discon- 
tent among  the  subalterns  of  the  garrison,  by  having  confided 
it  to  one  of  the  sergeant's  humble  station.  To  return  with- 
out having  even  reached  the  point  of  destination,  therefore, 
the  latter  felt  would  be  a  failure  from  which  he  was  not 
likely  soon  to  recover  ;  and  the  measure  would,  at  once,  be 
the  means  of  placing  a  superior  in  his  shoes. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

"  Thou  glorious  mirror,  where  the  Almighty's  form 
Glasses  itself  in  tempests  ;  in  all  time, 
Calm  or  convulsed — in  breeze,  or  gale,  or  storm, 
Icing  the  pole,  or  in  the  torrid  clime 
Dark  heaving ;  boundless,   endless,  and  sublime — 
The  image  of  Eternity  :  the  throne 
Of  the  Invisible  ;  even  from  out  thy  slime 
The  monsters  of  the  deep  are  made  ;  each  zone 
Obeys  thee  ;  thou  goest  forth,  dread,  fathomless,  alone." 

BYRON. 

AS  the  day  advanced,  that  portion  of  the  inmates  of 
the  vessel  which  had  the  liberty  of  doing  so, 
appeared  on  deck.  As  yet,  the  sea  was  not  very 
high,  from  which  it  was  inferred  that  the  cutter 
was  still  under  the  lee  of  the  islands  ;  but  it  was  apparent  to 
all  who  understood  the  lake,  that  they  were  about  to  experi- 
ence one  of  the  heavy  autumnal  gales  of  that  region.  Land 
was  nowhere  visible ;  and  the  horizon,  on  every  side, 
exhibited  that  gloomy  void  which  lends  to  all  views,  on 
vast  bodies  of  water,  the  sublimity  of  mystery.  The  swells, 
or  as  landsmen  term  them,  the  waves,  were  short  and  curling, 
breaking  of  necessity  sooner  than  the  longer  seas  of  the 
ocean  ;  while  the  element  itself,  instead  of  presenting  that 
beautiful  hue  which  rivals  the  deep  tint  of  the  southern  sky, 
looked  green  and  angry,  though  wanting  in  the  lustre  that 
is  derived  from  the  rays  of  the  sun. 

The  soldiers  were  soon  satisfied  with  the  prospect,  and 
one  by  one  they  disappeared,  until  none  were  left  on  deck 
but  the  crew,  the  sergeant,    Cap,   Pathfinder,   the  quarter- 
master, and  Mabel.     There  was  a  shade  on  the  brow  of  the 
249 


25o  Ube 


latter,  who  had  been  made  acquainted  with  the  real  state  of 
things,  and  who  had  fruitlessly  ventured  an  appeal  in  favor 
of  Jasper's  restoration  to  the  command.  A  night's  rest  and 
a  night's  reflection  appeared  also  to  have  confirmed  the  Path- 
finder in  his  opinion  of  the  young  man's  innocence,  and  he, 
too,  had  made  a  warm  appeal  in  behalf  of  his  friend,  though 
with  the  same  want  of  success. 

Several  hours  passed  away,  the  wind  gradually  getting 
to  be  heavier,  and  the  sea  rising,  until  the  motion  of  the 
cutter  compelled  Mabel  and  the  quartermaster  to  retreat 
also.  Cap  wore  several  times  ;  and  it  was  now  evident 
that  the  Scud  was  drifting  into  the  broader  and  deeper  parts 
of  the  lake,  the  seas  raging  down  upon  her  in  a  way  that 
none  but  a  vessel  of  superior  mould  and  build  could  have 
long  ridden  and  withstood.  All  this,  however,  gave  Cap 
no  uneasiness ;  but  like  the  hunter  that  pricks  his  ears  at 
the  sound  of  the  horn,  or  the  war-horse  that  paws  and  snorts 
with  pleasure  at  the  roll  of  the  drum,  the  whole  scene 
awakened  all  that  was  man  within  him  ;  and  instead  of  the 
captious,  supercilious,  and  dogmatic  critic,  quarrelling  with 
trifles,  and  exaggerating  immaterial  things,  he  began  to  ex- 
hibit the  qualities  of  the  hardy  and  experienced  seaman  that 
he  truly  was.  The  hands  soon  imbibed  a  respect  for  his 
skill ;  and  though  they  wondered  at  the  disappearance  of 
their  old  commander  and  the  pilot,  for  which  no  reason  had 
been  publicly  given,  they  soon  yielded  an  implicit  and  cheer- 
ful obedience  to  the  new  one. 

4 '  This  bit  of  fresh  water,  after  all,  brother  Dunham,  has 
some  spirit,  I  find,"  cried  Cap,  about  noon,  rubbing  his 
hands  in  pure  satisfaction  at  finding  himself  once  more 
wrestling  with  the  elements.  "  The  wind  seems  to  be  an 
honest  old-fashioned  gale,  and  the  seas  have  a  fanciful 
resemblance  to  those  of  the  Gulf  Stream.  I  like  this,  ser- 
geant, I  like  this ;  and  shall  get  to  respect  your  lake  if  it 
hold  out  twenty-four  hours  longer  in  the  fashion  in  which  it 
has  begun." 

"Land,  ho  !  "  shouted  the  man  who  was  stationed  on  the 
forecastle." 

Cap  hurried  forward ;  and  there,  sure  enough,  the  land 


ZTbe  patbfinfcer  251 


was  visible  through  the  drizzle,  at  a  distance  of  about  half  a 
mile,  the  cutter  heading  directly  towards  it.  The  first 
impulse  of  the  old  seaman  was  to  give  an  order  to  ' '  Stand  by 
to  wear  off  shore ;  ' '  but  the  cool-headed  soldier  restrained 
him. 

' '  By  going  a  little  nearer, ' '  said  the  sergeant,  ' '  some  of 
us  may  recognize  the  place.  Most  of  us  know  the  American 
shore  in  this  part  of  the  lake  ;  and  it  will  be  something 
gained  to  learn  our  position. ' ' 

' '  Very  true — very  true  ;  if,  indeed,  there  is  any  chance 
of  that,  we  will  hold  on.  What  is  this  off  here,  a  little  on 
our  weather  bow  ?  It  looks  like  a  low  headland." 

"The  garrison,  by  Jove!"  exclaimed  the  other,  whose 
trained  eye  sooner  recognized  the  military  outlines  than  the 
less  instructed  senses  of  his  connection. 

The  sergeant  was  not  mistaken.  There  was  the  fort,  sure 
enough,  though  it  looked  dim  and  indistinct  through  the 
fine  rain,  as  if  it  were  seen  in  the  dusk  of  evening,  or  the 
haze  of  morning.  The  low-sodded,  and  verdant  ramparts, 
the  sombre  palisades,  now  darker  than  ever  with  water,  the 
roof  of  a  house  or  two,  the  tall,  solitary  flag-staff,  with  its 
halyards  blown  steadily  out  into  a  curve  that  appeared 
traced  in  immovable  lines  in  the  air,  were  all  soon  to  be 
seen,  though  no  sign  of  animated  life  could  be  discovered. 
Even  the  sentinel  was  housed ;  and,  at  first,  it  was 
believed  that  no  eye  would  detect  the  presence  of  their 
own  vessel.  But  the  unceasing  vigilance  of  a  border  garri- 
son did  not  slumber.  One  of  the  lookouts  probably  made 
the  interesting  discovery  ;  a  man  or  two  were  seen  on  some 
elevated  stands,  and  then  the  entire  ramparts,  next  the  lake, 
were  dotted  with  human  beings. 

The  whole  scene  was  one  in  which  sublimity  was  singu- 
larly relieved  by  the  picturesque.  The  raging  of  the  tem- 
pest had  a  character  of  duration  that  rendered  it  easy  to 
imagine  it  might  be  a  permanent  feature  of  the  spot.  The 
roar  of  the  wind  was  without  intermission,  and  the  raging 
water  answered  to  its  dull  but  grand  strains  with  hissing 
spray,  a  menacing  wash,  and  sullen  surges.  The  drizzle 
made  a  medium  for  the  eye  which  closely  resembled  that  of 


2S  2  tlbe  patbfinfcer 

a  thin  mist,  softening  and  rendering  mysterious  the  images  it 
revealed,  while  the  genial  feeling  that  is  apt  to  accompany  a 
gale  of  wind  on  water,  contributed  to  aid  the  milder  influ- 
ences of  the  moment.  The  dark,  interminable  forest  hove 
up  out  of  the  obscurity,  grand,  sombre,  and  impressive, 
while  the  solitary,  peculiar,  and  picturesque  glimpses  of  life 
that  were  caught  in  and  about  the  fort,  formed  a  refuge  for 
the  eye  to  retreat  to,  when  oppressed  with  the  more  impos- 
ing objects  of  nature. 

"They  see  us,"  said  the  sergeant,  "and  think  we  have 
returned  on  account  of  the  gale,  and  have  fallen  to  leeward 
of  the  port.  Yes,  there  is  Major  Duncan  himself,  on  the 
northeastern  bastion  ;  I  know  him  by  his  height,  and  by 
the  officers  around  him  ! ' ' 

"  Sergeant,  it  would  be  worth  standing  a  little  jeering,  if 
we  could  fetch  into  the  river,  and  come  safely  to  an  anchor  ! 
In  that  case,  too,  we  might  land  this  Master  Oh-the-Deuce> 
and  purify  the  boat." 

"  It  would,  indeed  ;  but  poor  a  sailor  as  I  am,  I  well  know 
it  cannot  be  done.  Nothing  that  sails  the  lake  can  turn  to 
windward  against  this  gale ;  and  there  is  no  anchorage 
outside,  in  weather  like  this." 

"I  know  it,  I  see  it,  sergeant,  and  pleasant  as  is  that 
sight  to  you  landsmen,  we  must  leave  it.  For  myself,  I  am 
never  as  happy,  in  heavy  weather,  as  when  I  am  certain 
that  the  land  is  behind  me." 

The  Scud  had  now  forged  so  near  in,  that  it  became  indis- 
pensable to  lay  her  head  off  shore  again,  and  the  necessary 
orders  were  given.  The  storm-staysail  was  set  forward, 
the  gaff  lowered,  the  helm  put  up,  and  the  light  craft,  that 
seemed  to  sport  with  the  elements  like  a  duck,  fell  off  a  lit- 
tle, drew  ahead  swiftly,  obeyed  her  rudder,  and  was  soon 
flying  away  on  the  top  of  the  surges,  dead  before  the  gale. 

While  making  this  rapid  flight,  though  the  land  still  re- 
mained in  view  on  her  larboard  beam,  the  fort,  and  the 
groups  of  anxious  spectators  on  its  rampart,  were  swallowed 
up  in  the  mist.  Then  followed  the  evolutions  necessary  to 
bring  the  head  of  the  cutter  up  to  the  wind,  when  she  again 
began  to  wallow  her  weary  way  towards  the  north  shore. 


patbtinDer  253 


Hours  now  passed  before  any  further  change  was  made, 
the  wind  increasing  in  force,  until  even  the  dogmatical  Cap 
fairly  admitted  it  was  blowing  a  thorough  gale  of  wind. 
About  sunset  the  Scud  wore  again,  to  keep  her  off  the 
north  shore  during  the  hours  of  darkness  ;  and  at  midnight 
her  temporary  master,  who,  by  questioning  the  crew  in  an 
indirect  manner,  had  obtained  some  general  knowledge  of 
the  size  and  shape  of  the  lake,  believed  himself  to  be  about 
midway  between  the  two  shores.  The  height  and  length 
of  the  seas  aided  this  impression  ;  and  it  must  be  added  that 
Cap,  by  this  time,  began  to  feel  a  respect  for  fresh  water 
that  twenty-four  hours  earlier  he  would  have  derided  as 
impossible.  Just  as  the  night  turned,  the  fury  of  the  wind 
became  so  great  that  he  found  it  impossible  to  bear  up 
against  it,  the  water  falling  on  the  deck  of  the  little  craft  in 
such  masses  as  to  cause  her  to  shake  to  the  centre,  and, 
though  a  vessel  of  singularly  lively  qualities,  to  threaten  to 
bury  her  beneath  its  weight.  The  people  of  the  Scud 
averred  that  never  before  had  they  been  out  in  such  a  tem- 
pest ;  which  was  true ;  for,  possessing  a  perfect  knowledge 
of  all  the  rivers  and  headlands  and  havens,  Jasper  would 
have  carried  the  cutter  in  shore,  long  ere  this,  and  placed 
her  in  safety,  in  some  secure  anchorage.  But  Cap  still  dis- 
dained to  consult  the  young  master,  who  continued  below, 
determining  to  act  like  a  mariner  of  the  broad  ocean. 

It  was  one  in  the  morning  when  the  storm-staysail  was 
again  got  on  the  Scud,  the  head  of  the  mainsail  lowered, 
and  the  cutter  put  before  the  wind.  Although  the  canvas 
now  exposed  was  merely  a  rag  in  surface,  the  little  craft 
nobly  justified  the  use  of  the  name  she  bore.  For  eight 
hours  did  she  scud,  in  truth  ;  and  it  was  almost  with  the  ve- 
locity of  the  gulls  that  wheeled  wildly  over  her  in  the  tem- 
pest, apparently  afraid  to  alight  in  the  boiling  caldron  of  the 
lake.  The  dawn  of  day  brought  little  change  ;  for  no  other 
horizon  became  visible  than  the  narrow  circle  of  drizzling 
sky  and  water  already  described,  in  which  it  seemed  as  if 
the  elements  were  rioting  in  chaotic  confusion.  During  this 
time  the  crew  and  passengers  of  the  cutter  were  of  necessity 
passive.  Jasper  and  the  pilot  remained  below  ;  but  the  mo- 


254 


ipatbfinfcer 


tion  of  the  vessel  having  become  easier,  nearly  all  the  rest 
were  on  deck.  The  morning  meal  had  been  taken  in  silence, 
and  eye  met  eye  as  if  their  owners  asked  each  other  in  dumb 
show,  what  was  to  be  the  end  of  this  strife  in  the  elements. 
Cap,  however,  was  perfectly  composed,  and  his  face  bright- 
ened, his  step  grew  firmer,  and  his  whole  air  more  assured 
as  the  storm  increased,  making  larger  demands  on  his  profes- 
sional skill  and  personal  spirit.  He  stood  on  the  forecastle, 
his  arms  crossed,  balancing  his  body  with  a  seaman's  instinct, 
while  his  eyes  watched  the  caps  of  the  seas  as  they  broke 
and  glanced  past  the  reeling  cutter,  itself  in  such  swift  motion 
as  if  they  were  the  scud  flying  athwart  the  sky.  At  this 
sublime  instant  one  of  the  hands  gave  the  unexpected  cry 
of  "A  sail!" 

There  was  so  much  of  the  wild  and  solitary  character  of 
the  wilderness  about  Ontario,  that  one  scarcely  expected  to 
meet  with  a  vessel  on  its  waters.  The  Scud  herself,  to  those 
who  were  in  her,  resembled  a  man  threading  the  forest  alone, 
and  the  meeting  was  like  that  of  two  solitary  hunters  be- 
neath the  broad  canopy  of  leaves  that  then  covered  so  many 
millions  of  acres  on  the  continent  of  America.  The  peculiar 
state  of  the  weather  served  to  increase  the  romantic,  almost 
supernatural,  appearance  of  the  passage.  Cap  alone  re- 
garded it  with  practised  eyes,  and  even  he  felt  his  iron 
nerves  thrill  under  the  sensations  that  were  awakened  by 
the  wild  features  of  the  scene. 

The  strange  vessel  was  about  two  cables'  length  ahead 
of  the  Scud,  standing  by  the  wind  athwart  her  bows,  and 
steering  a  course  to  render  it  probable  that  the  latter  would 
pass  within  a  few  yards  of  her.  She  was  a  full-rigged 
ship ;  and  seen  through  the  misty  medium  of  the  tempest, 
the  most  experienced  eye  could  detect  no  imperfection  in 
her  gear  or  construction.  The  only  canvas  she  had  set  was 
a  close-reefed  main-topsail  and  two  small  storm-staysails,  one 
forward  and  the  other  aft.  Still,  the  power  of  the  wind 
pressed  so  hard  upon  her  as  to  bear  her  down  nearly  to  her 
beam-ends,  whenever  the  hull  was  not  righted  by  the  buoy- 
ancy of  some  wave  under  her  lee.  Her  spars  were  all  in 
their  places,  and  by  her  motion  through  the  water,  which 


Ube  patbffnfcer  255 


might  have  equalled  four  knots  in  the  hour,  it  was  apparent 
that  she  steered  a  little  free. 

"  The  fellow  must  know  his  position  well,"  said  Cap, 
as  the  cutter  flew  down  towards  the  ship  with  a  velocity 
almost  equalling  that  of  the  gale,  ' '  for  he  is  standing  boldly 
to  the  southward,  where  he  expects  to  find  anchorage  or  a 
haven.  No  man  in  his  senses  would  run  off  free  in  that 
fashion,  that  was  not  driven  to  scudding  like  ourselves,  who 
did  not  perfectly  understand  where  he  was  going." 

"We  have  made  an  awful  run,  captain,"  returned  the 
man  to  whom  this  remark  had  been  addressed.  "  That  is 
the  French  king's  ship,  Lee-My-calm  (L,e  Montcalm),  and 
she  is  standing  in  for  the  Niagara,  where  her  owner  has  a 
garrison  and  a  port.  We  've  made  an  awful  run  of  it !  " 

"Ay,  bad  luck  to  him  !  Frenchman-like,  he  skulks  into 
port  the  moment  he  sees  an  English  bottom." 

' '  It  might  be  well  for  us  if  we  could  follow  him, ' '  returned 
the  man,  shaking  his  head  despondingly,  ' '  for  we  are  getting 
into  the  end  of  a  bay  up  here  at  the  head  of  the  lake,  and  it 
is  uncertain  whether  we  ever  get  out  of  it  again  ! ' ' 

"Poh  !  man,  poh  !  We  have  plenty  of  sea  room,  and  a 
good  English  hull  beneath  us.  We  are  no  Johnny  Cra- 
pauds  to  hide  ourselves  behind  a  point  or  a  fort,  on  account 
of  a  puff  of  wind.  Mind  your  helm,  sir  !  " 

The  order  was  given  on  account  of  the  menacing  appear- 
ance of  the  approaching  passage.  The  Scud  was  now  head- 
ing directly  for  the  fore-foot  of  the  Frenchman  ;  and,  the 
distance  between  the  two  vessels  having  diminished  to  a 
hundred  yards,  it  was  momentarily  questionable  if  there 
was  room  to  pass. 

"  Port,  sir — port !  "  shouted  Cap.  "  Port  your  helm  and 
pass  astern  !  " 

The  crew  of  the  Frenchman  were  seen  assembling  to 
windward,  and  a  few  muskets  were  pointed,  as  if  to  order 
the  people  of  the  Scud  to  keep  off.  Gesticulations  were 
observed,  but  the  sea  was  too  wild  and  menacing  to  admit 
of  the  ordinary  expedients  of  war.  The  water  was  dripping 
from  the  muzzles  of  two  or  three  light  guns  on  board  the 
ship,  but  no  one  thought  of  loosening  them  for  service  in 


256  Ufoe  jpatbfinfcer 


such  a  tempest.  Her  black  sides,  as  they  emerged  from  the 
wave,  glistened  and  seemed  to  frown,  but  the  wind  howled 
through  her  rigging,  whistling  the  thousand  notes  of  a  ship  ; 
and  the  hails  and  cries  that  escape  a  Frenchman  with  so 
much  readiness,  were  inaudible. 

' '  Let  him  halloo  himself  hoarse  !  ' '  growled  Cap.  ' '  This 
is  no  weather  to  whisper  secrets  in.  Port,  sir,  port !  " 

The  man  at  the  helm  obeyed,  and  the  next  send  of  the 
sea  drove  the  Scud  down  upon  the  quarter  of  the  ship,  so 
near  her  that  the  old  mariner  himself  recoiled  a  step,  in  a 
vague  expectation  that,  at  the  next  surge  ahead,  she  would 
drive  bows  foremost  into  the  planks  of  the  other  vessel. 
But  this  was  not  to  be.  Rising  from  the  crouching  posture 
she  had  taken,  like  a  panther  about  to  leap,  the  cutter 
dashed  onward,  and,  at  the  next  instant,  she  was  glancing 
past  the  stern  of  her  enemy,  just  clearing  the  end  of  her 
spanker-boom  with  her  own  lower  yard.  ' 

The  young  Frenchman  who  commanded  the  Montcalm 
leaped  on  the  taffrail,  and  with  that  high-toned  courtesy 
which  relieves  the  worst  acts  of  his  countrymen,  he  raised 
his  cap,  and  smiled  a  salutation  as  the  Scud  shot  past. 
There  were  bonhommie  and  good  taste  in  this  act  of  courtesy, 
when  circumstances  allowed  of  no  other  communications ; 
but  they  were  lost  on  Cap,  who,  with  an  instinct  quite  as 
true  to  his  race,  shook  his  fist  menacingly,  and  muttered  to 
himself, — 

"Ay,  ay ;  it's  d d  lucky  for  you  I  've  no  armament 

on  board  here,  or  I  'd  send  you  in  to  get  new  cabin-windows 
fitted.  Sergeant,  he's  a  humbug." 

"Twas  civil,  brother  Cap,"  returned  the  other,  lowering 
his  hand  from  the  military  salute  which  his  pride  as  a  sol- 
dier had  induced  him  to  return,  "  't  was  civil,  and  that 's  as 
much  as  you  can  expect  from  a  Frenchman.  What  he 
really  meant  by  it,  no  one  can  say." 

''He  is  not  heading  up  to  this  sea  without  an  object, 
neither  !  Well,  let  him  run  in,  if  he  can  get  there  ;  we  will 
keep  the  lake,  like  hearty  English  mariners." 

This  sounded  gloriously,  but  Cap  eyed  with  envy  the  glit- 
tering black  mass  of  the  Montcalm's  hull,  her  waving  top- 


ZTbe  ipatbffnfcer  257 


sail,  and  the  misty  tracery  of  her  spars,  as  she  grew  less 
and  less  distinct,  and  finally  disappeared  in  the  drizzle,  in  a 
form  as  shadowy  as  that  of  some  unreal  image.  Gladly 
would  he  have  followed  in  her  wake,  had  he  dared ;  for  to 
own  the  truth,  the  prospect  of  another  stormy  night  in  the 
midst  of  the  wild  waters  that  were  raging  around  him, 
brought  little  consolation.  Still,  he  had  too  much  profes- 
sional pride  to  betray  his  uneasiness,  and  those  under  his 
care  relied  on  his  knowledge  and  resources,  with  the  implicit 
and  blind  confidence  that  the  ignorant  are  apt  to  feel. 

A  few  hours  succeeded,  and  darkness  came  again  to  in- 
crease the  perils  of  the  Scud.  A  lull  in  the  gale,  however, 
had  induced  Cap  to  come  by  the  wind  once  more,  and 
throughout  the  night  the  cutter  was  lying-to,  as  before, 
head-reaching  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  occasionally  wear- 
ing to  keep  off  the  land.  It  is  unnecessary  to  dwell  on  the 
incidents  of  the  night,  which  resembled  those  of  any  other 
gale  of  wind.  There  were  the  pitching  of  the  vessel,  the 
hissing  of  the  waters,  the  dashing  of  spray,  the  shocks  that 
menaced  annihilation  to  the  little  craft  as  she  plunged  into 
the  seas,  the  undying  howling  of  the  wind,  and  the  fearful 
drift.  The  last  was  the  most  serious  danger ;  for,  though 
exceeding  weatherly  under  her  canvas,  and  totally  without 
top-hamper,  the  Scud  was  so  light,  that  the  coaming  of  the 
swells  would  seem,  at  times,  to  wash  her  down  to  leeward 
with  a  velocity  as  great  as  that  of  the  surges  themselves. 

During  this  night,  Cap  slept  soundly  and  for  several 
hours.  The  day  was  just  dawning,  when  he  felt  himself 
shaken  by  the  shoulder,  and  arousing  himself,  he  found  the 
Pathfinder  standing  at  his  side.  During  the  gale,  the  guide 
had  appeared  little  on  deck,  for  his  natural  modesty  told 
him  that  -seamen  alone  should  interfere  with  the  manage- 
ment of  the  vessel ;  and  he  was  willing  to  show  the  same 
reliance  on  those  who  had  charge  of  the  Scud,  as  he  ex- 
pected those  who  followed  through  the  forest  to  manifest 
in  his  own  skill.  But  he  now  thought  himself  justified  in 
interfering,  which  he  did  in  his  own  unsophisticated  and 
peculiar  manner. 

"Sleep  is  sweet,  Master  Cap,"  he  said,  as  soon  as  the 


258  tEbe  jpatbfinfcer 


eyes  of  the  latter  were  fairly  opened,  and  his  consciousness 
had  sufficiently  returned,  ' '  sleep  is  sweet,  as  I  know  from 
experience,  but  life  is  sweeter  still.  Look  about  you,  and 
say  if  this  is  exactly  the  moment  for  a  commander  to  be  off 
his  feet." 

"How  now — how  now,  Master  Pathfinder!"  growled 
Cap,  in  the  first  moments  of  his  awakened  faculties  ;  ' '  are 
you,  too,  getting  on  the  side  of  the  grumblers  ?  When 
ashore,  I  admired  your  sagacity  in  running  through  the 
worst  shoals  without  a  compass,  and  since  we  have  been 
afloat,  your  meekness  and  submission  have  been  as  pleasant 
as  your  confidence  on  your  own  ground  ;  I  little  expected 
such  a  summons  from  you." 

"As  for  myself,  Master  Cap,  I  feel  I  have  my  gifts, 
and  I  believe  they  '11  interfere  with  those  of  no  other  man  ; 
but  the  case  may  be  different  with  Mabel  Dunham.  She 
has  her  gifts,  too,  it  is  true  ;  but  they  are  not  rude  like  ours, 
but  gentle,  and  womanish,  as  they  ought  to  be.  It 's  on  her 
account  that  I  speak,  and  not  on  my  own." 

"  Ay,  ay  ;  I  begin  to  understand.  The  girl  is  a  good  girl, 
my  worthy  friend,  but  she  is  a  soldier's  daughter  and  a 
sailor's  niece,  and  ought  not  to  be  too  tame  or  too  tender  in 
a  gale.  Does  she  show  any  fear  ?  " 

"  Not  she— not  she.  Mabel  is  a  woman,  but  she  is  reason- 
able and  silent.  Not  a  word  have  I  heard  from  her,  concern- 
ing our  doings ;  though  I  think,  Master  Cap,  she  would  like 
it  better  if  Jasper  Eau-douce  were  put  into  his  proper  place, 
and  things  were  restored  to  their  old  situation,  like.  This 
is  human  natur'." 

' '  I '  11  warrant  it !  Girl-like,  and  Dunham-like,  too.  Any- 
thing is  better  than  an  old  uncle,  and  everybody  knows  more 
than  an  old  seaman  !  This  is  human  natur',  Master  Path- 
finder, and  d e,  if  I  'm  the  man  to  sheer  a  fathom,  star- 
board or  port,  for  all  the  human  natur'  that  can  be  found  in 
a  minx  of  twenty,  ay,  or  "—lowering  his  voice  a  little—"  for 
all  that  can  be  paraded  in  his  majesty's  55th  regiment  of  foot. 
I  've  not  been  at  sea  forty  years,  to  come  up  on  this  bit  of 
fresh  water  to  be  taught  human  natur'.  How  this  gale 
holds  out !  It  blows  as  hard,  at  this  moment,  as  if  Boreas 


Ube  jpatbflnfcer  259 


had  just  clapped  his  hand  upon  the  bellows.  And  what  is 
all  this  to  leeward  ? ' '  rubbing  his  eyes  ;  ' '  land,  as  sure  as  my 
name  is  Cap ;  and  high  land,  too  !  " 

The  Pathfinder  made  no  immediate  answer,  but  shaking 
his  head,  he  watched  the  expression  of  his  companion's  face, 
with  a  look  of  strong  anxiety  in  his  own. 

"  Land,  as  certain  as  this  is  the  Scud  !  "  repeated  Cap,  "  a 
lee  shore,  and  that,  too,  within  a  league  of  us,  with  as  pretty 
a  line  of  breakers  as  one  could  find  on  the  beach  of  all  Long 
Island!" 

' '  And  is  that  encouraging,  or  is  it  disheartening  ?  "  de- 
manded the  Pathfinder. 

' '  Ha  !  encouraging,  disheartening  ?  Why,  neither.  No, 
no  ;  there  is  nothing  encouraging  about  it ;  and,  as  for  dis- 
heartening, nothing  ought  to  dishearten  a  seaman.  You 
never  get  disheartened  or  afraid  in  the  woods,  my  friend  ?  ' ' 

"  I  '11  not  say  that — I  '11  not  say  that.  When  the  danger  is 
great,  it  is  my  gift  to  see  it,  and  know  it,  and  to  try  to  avoid 
it ;  else  would  my  scalp,  long  since,  have  been  drying  in  a 
Mingo  wigwam.  On  this  lake,  however,  I  can  see  no  trail, 
and  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  submit ;  though  I  think  we  ought  to 
remember  there  is  such  a  person  as  Mabel  Dunham  on  board. 
But  here  comes  her  father,  and  he  will  nat' rally  feel  for  his 
own  child." 

' '  We  are  seriously  situated,  I  believe,  brother  Cap, ' '  said 
the  sergeant,  when  he  had  reached  the  spot,  "  by  what  I  can 
gather  from  the  two  hands  on  the  forecastle.  They  tell  me 
the  cutter  cannot  carry  any  more  sail,  and  her  drift  is  so  great 
we  shall  go  ashore  in  an  hour  or  two.  I  hope  their  fears 
have  deceived  them  ? ' ' 

Cap  made  no  reply,  but  he  gazed  at  the  land  with  a  rueful 
face,  and  then  looked  to  windward,  with  an  expression  of 
ferocity,  as  if  he  would  gladly  have  quarrelled,  with  the 
weather. 

"It  may  be  well,  brother,"  the  sergeant  continued,  "  to 
send  for  Jasper  and  consult  him  as  to  what  is  to  be  done. 
There  are  no  French  here  to  dread,  and,  under  all  circum- 
stances, the  boy  will  save  us  from  drowning,  if  possible." 

"Ay,  ay  ;  'tis  these  cursed  circumstances  that  have  done 


26o  Ube  patbffnfcer 


all  the  mischief !  But  let  the  fellow  come  ;  let  him  come ;  a 
few  well  managed  questions  will  bring  the  truth  out  of  him, 
I  '11  warrant  you." 

This  acquiescence  on  the  part  of  the  dogmatical  Cap  was 
no  sooner  obtained,  than  Jasper  was  sent  for.  The  young 
man  instantly  made  his  appearance,  his  whole  air,  counte- 
nance, and  mien,  expressive  of  mortification,  humility,  and, 
as  his  observers  fancied,  rebuked  deception.  When  he  first 
stepped  on  deck,  Jasper  cast  one  hurried,  anxious  glance 
around,  as  if  curious  to  know  the  situation  of  the  cutter ;  and 
that  glance  sufficed,  it  would  seem,  to  let  him  into  the  secret 
of  all  her  perils.  At  first  he  looked  to  windward,  as  is  usual 
with  every  seaman  ;  then  he  turned  round  the  horizon,  until 
his  eye  caught  a  view  of  the  highlands  to  leeward,  when  the 
whole  truth  burst  upon  him  at  once. 

"  I  've  sent  for  you,  Master  Jasper,"  said  Cap,  folding  his 
arms,  and  balancing  his  body  with  the  dignity  of  the  fore- 
castle, ' '  in  order  to  learn  something  about  the  haven  to  lee- 
ward. We  take  it  for  granted,  you  do  not  bear  malice  so 
hard,  as  to  wish  to  drown  us  all,  especially  the  women  ;  and 
I  suppose  you  will  be  man  enough  to  help  us  run  the  cutter 
into  some  safe  berth,  until  this  bit  of  a  gale  has  done 
blowing  ? ' ' 

"  I  would  die  myself,  rather  than  harm  should  come  to 
Mabel  Dunham,"  the  young  man  earnestly  answered. 

"  I  knew  it !— I  knew  it !  "  cried  the  Pathfinder,  clapping 
his  hand  kindly  on  Jasper's  shoulder.  "The  lad  is  as  true 
as  the  best  compass  that  ever  run  a  boundary,  or  brought  a 
man  off  from  a  blind  trail  !  It  is  a  moral  sin  to  believe 
otherwise." 

"  Humph  !  "  ejaculated  Cap,  "especially  the  women  !  As 
if  they  were  in  any  particular  danger.  Never  mind,  young 
man  ;  we  shall  understand  each  other  by  talking  like  two  plain 
seamen.  Do  you  know  of  any  port  under  our  lee  ?  " 

"  None.  There  is  a  large  bay  at  this  end  of  the  lake,  but 
it  is  unknown  to  us  all ;  and  not  easy  of  entrance." 

"And  this  coast  to  leeward— it  has  nothing  particular  to 
recommend  it,  I  suppose  ? " 

"It  is  a    wilderness  until  you  reach  the  mouth  of  the 


TTbe  ipatbffnfcer  261 


Niagara,  in  one  direction,  and  Frontenac  in  the  other. 
North  and  west,  they  tell  me,  there  is  nothing  but  forest 
and  prairies,  for  a  thousand  miles." 

"  Thank  God,  then,  there  can  be  no  French.  Are  there 
many  savages,  hereaway,  on  the  land?  " 

"The  Indians  are  to  be  found  in  all  directions  ;  though 
they  are  nowhere  very  numerous.  By  accident,  we  might 
find  a  party  at  any  point  on  the  shore ;  or  we  might  pass 
months  there,  without  seeing  one." 

"We  must  take  our  chance,  then,  as  to  the  blackguards ; 
but,  to  be  frank  with  you,  Master  Western,  if  this  little 
unpleasant  matter  about  the  French  had  not  come  to  pass, 
what  would  you  now  do  with  the  cutter  ? ' ' 

"  I  am  a  much  younger  sailor  than  yourself,  Master  Cap," 
said  Jasper,  modestly,  "  and  am  hardly  fitted  to  advise  you." 

' '  Ay,  ay  ;  we  all  know  that.  In  a  common  case,  perhaps 
not.  But  this  is  an  uncommon  case,  and  a  circumstance ;  and 
on  this  bit  of  fresh  water,  it  has  what  may  be  called  its 
peculiarities  ;  and  so,  everything  considered,  you  may  be 
fitted  to  advise  even  your  own  father.  At  all  events,  you 
can  speak,  and  I  can  judge  of  your  opinions,  agreeably  to 
my  own  experience." 

' '  I  think,  sir,  before  two  hours  are  over,  the  cutter  will 
have  to  anchor. ' ' 

"  Anchor  ! — not  out  here,  in  the  lake  ?  " 

"  No,  sir ;  but  in  yonder,  near  the  land." 

"You  do  not  mean  to  say,  Master  Oh-the-deuce,  yott 
would  anchor  on  a  lee  shore,  in  a  gale  of  wind  !  " 

"  If  I  would  save  my  vessel,  that  is  exactly  what  I  would 
do,  Master  Cap." 

' '  Whe-e-e-w  !  this  is  fresh  water,  with  a  vengeance. 
Harkee,  young  man,  I  've  been  a  seafaring  animal,  boy  and 
man,  forty-one  years,  and  I  never  yet  heard  of  such  a  thing. 
I'd  throw  my  ground-tackle  overboard,  before  I  would  be 
guilt)^  of  so  lubberly  an  act ! ' ' 

"  That  is  what  we  do  on  this  lake,"  modestly  replied  Jas- 
per, "when  we  are  hard  pressed.  I  dare  say  we  might  do 
better,  had  we  been  better  taught. ' ' 

"  That  you  might,  indeed  !     No  ;  no  man  induces  me  to 


262 


Ube 


commit  such  a  sin  against  my  own  bringing  up.  I  should 
never  dare  show  my  face  inside  of  Sandy  Hook  again,  had  I 
committed  so  know-nothing  an  exploit.  Why,  Pathfinder, 
here,  has  more  seamanship  in  him  than  that  comes  to.  You 
can  go  below,  again,  Master  Oh-the-Deuce." 

Jasper  quietly  bowed  and  withdrew ;  still,  as  he  passed 
down  the  ladder,  the  spectators  observed  that  he  cast  a  lin- 
gering, anxious  look  at  the  horizon  to  windward,  and  the 
land  to  leeward,  and  then  disappeared  with  concern  strongly 
expressed  in  every  lineament  of  his  face. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

"  He  still  refuted  quirks  he  still  repeats  ; 
New  raised  objections  with  new  quibbles  meets, 
Till,  sinking  in  the  quicksand  he  defends, 
He  dies  disputing,  and  the  contest  ends." 

COWPKR. 

AS  the  soldier's  wife  was  sick  in  her  berth,    Mabel 
Dunham  was  the  only  person  in  the  outer  cabin 
when  Jasper  returned  to  it :  for,  by  an  act  of  grace 
in  the  sergeant,  he  had  been  permitted  to  resume 
his  proper  place,  in  this  part  of  the  vessel.     We  should  be 
ascribing  too  much  simplicity  of  character  to  our  heroine,  if  we 
said  that  she  had  felt  no  distrust  of  the  young  man,  in  conse- 
quence of  his  arrest ;  but  we  should  also  be  doing  injustice  to 
her  warmth  of  feeling,  and  generosity  of  disposition,  if  we  did 
not  add,  that  this  distrust  was  insignificant  and  transient. 
As  he  now  took  his  seat  near  her,  his  whole  countenance 
clouded  with  the  uneasiness  he  felt  concerning  the  situation 
of  the  cutter,  everything  like  suspicion  was  banished  from 
her  mind,  and  she  saw  in  him  only  an  injured  man. 

' '  You  let  this  affair  weigh  too  heavily  on  your  mind, 
Jasper,"  she  said  eagerly,  or  with  that  forgetfulness  of  self, 
with  which  the  youthful  of  her  sex  are  wont  to  betray  their 
feelings,  when  a  strong  and  generous  interest  has  attained 
the  ascendency;  "no  one,  who  knows  you,  can  or  does 
believe  you  guilty.  Pathfinder  says  he  will  pledge  his  life 
for  you." 

"Then  you,  Mabel,"  returned  the  youth,  his  eyes  flash- 
ing fire,   "do  not  look  upon  me  as  the  traitor  that  your 
father  seems  to  believe  me  to  be  ?" 
263 


264  TTbe  patbffn&er 


"  My  dear  father  is  a  soldier,  and  is  obliged  to  act  as  one. 
My  father's  daughter  is  not,  and  will  think  of  you  as  she 
ought  to  think  of  a  man  who  has  done  so  much  to  serve  her 
already." 

"Mabel,  I'm  not  used  to  talking  with  one  like  you,  01 
saying  all  I  think  and  feel  with  any.  I  never  had  a  sister, 
and  my  mother  died  when  I  was  a  child,  so  that  I  know  little 
what  your  sex  most  likes  to  hear — ' ' 

Mabel  would  have  given  the  world  to  know  what  lay 
behind  the  teeming  word,  at  which  Jasper  hesitated  ;  but 
the  indefinable  and  controlling  sense  of  womanly  diffidence 
made  her  suppress  her  womanly  curiosity.  She  waited  in 
silence  for  him  to  explain  his  own  meaning. 

"  I  wish  to  say,  Mabel,"  the  young  man  continued,  after 
a  pause  which  he  found  sufficiently  embarrassing,  ' '  that  I 
am  unused  to  the  ways  and  opinions  of  one  like  you,  and 
that  you  must  imagine  all  I  would  add. ' ' 

Mabel  had  imagination  enough  to  fancy  anything,  but 
there  are  ideas  and  feelings  that  her  sex  prefer  to  have 
expressed,  before  they  yield  them  all  their  own  sympathies, 
and  she  had  a  vague  consciousness  that  these  of  Jasper's 
might  properly  be  enumerated  in  the  class  ;  with  a  readiness 
that  belongs  to  her  sex,  therefore,  she  preferred  changing 
the  discourse  to  permitting  it  to  proceed  any  further,  in  a 
manner  so  awkward  and  so  unsatisfactory. 

"Tell  me  one  thing,  Jasper,  and  I  shall  be  content,"  she 
said,  speaking  now  with  a  firmness  that  denoted  confidence 
not  only  in  herself,  but  in  her  companion  ;  ' '  you  do  not 
deserve  this  cruel  suspicion  which  rests  upon  you  ?  ' ' 

"  I  do  not,  Mabel,"  answered  Jasper,  looking  into  her  full 
blue  eyes  with  an  openness  and  simplicity  that  might  have 
shaken  strong  distrust.  "  As  I  hope  for  mercy  hereafter,  I 
do  not." 

"I  knew  it — I  could  have  sworn  it,"  returned  the  girl, 
warmly.  "And  yet  my  father  means  well  :  but  do  not  let 
this  matter  disturb  you,  Jasper. ' ' 

There  is  so  much  more  to  apprehend  from  another  quar- 
ter, just  now,  that  I  scarcely  think  of  it." 

"Jasper!" 


Ube  jpatbfinfcer  265 


"I  do  not  wish  to  alarm  you,  Mabel,  but  if  your  uncle 
could  be  persuaded  to  change  his  notions  about  handling  the 
Scud — and  yet,  he  is  so  much  older  and  more  experienced 
than  I  am,  that  he  ought,  perhaps,  to  place  more  reliance  on 
his  own  judgment  than  on  mine." 

"Do  you  think  the  cutter  in  any  danger?"  demanded 
Mabel,  quick  as  thought. 

' '  I  fear  so — at  least  she  would  have  been  thought  in  great 
danger  by  us  of  the  lake  ;  perhaps  an  old  seaman  of  the  ocean 
may  have  means  of  his  own  to  take  care  of  her. ' ' 

"Jasper,  all  agree  in  giving  you  credit  for  skill  in  manag- 
ing the  Scud  !  You  know  the  lake,  you  know  the  cutter  ; 
you  must  be  the  best  judge  of  our  real  situation  !  " 

"  My  concern  for  you,  Mabel,  may  make  me  more  cowardly 
than  common  ;  but,  to  be  frank,  I  see  but  one  method  of 
keeping  the  cutter  from  being  wrecked  in  the  course  of  the 
next  two  or  three  hours,  and  that  your  uncle  refuses  to  take. 
After  all,  this  may  be  my  ignorance  ;  for,  as  he  says,  Ontario 
is  merely  fresh  water." 

' '  You  cannot  believe  this  will  make  any  difference. 
Think  of  my  dear  father,  Jasper  !  Think  of  yourself,  of  all 
the  lives  that  depend  on  a  timely  word  from  you  to  save 
them  !" 

"  I  think  of  you,  Mabel,  and  that  is  more,  much  more,  than 
all  the  rest  put  together,"  returned  the  young  man,  with  a 
strength  of  expression  and  an  earnestness  of  look,  that 
uttered  infinitely  more  than  the  words  themselves. 

Mabel's  heart  beat  quick,  and  a  gleam  of  grateful  satis- 
faction shot  across  her  blushing  features  ;  but  the  alarm  was 
too  vivid  and  too  serious  to  admit  of  much  relief  from  hap- 
pier thoughts.  She  did  not  attempt  to  repress  a  look  of 
gratitude,  and  then  she  returned  to  the  feeling  that  was 
naturally  uppermost. 

"  My  uncle's  obstinacy  must  not  be  permitted  to  occasion 
this  disaster.  Go  once  more  on  deck,  Jasper,  and  ask  my 
father  to  come  into  the  cabin." 

While  the  young  man  was  complying  with  this  request, 
Mabel  sat  listening  to  the  howling  of  the  storm  and  the  dash- 
ing of  the  water  against  the  cutter,  in  a  dread  to  which  she 


266  Ube 


had  hitherto  been  a  stranger.  Constitutionally  an  excellent 
sailor,  as  the  term  is  used  among  passengers,  she  had  not, 
hitherto,  bethought  her  of  any  danger,  and  had  passed  her 
time,  since  the  commencement  of  the  gale,  in  such  womanly 
employments  as  her  situation  allowed  ;  but  now  alarm  was 
seriously  awakened,  she  did  not  fail  to  perceive  that  never 
before  had  she  been  on  the  water  in  such  a  tempest.  The 
minute  or  two  that  had  elapsed  ere  the  sergeant  came  ap- 
peared an  hour,  and  she  scarcely  breathed  when  she  saw 
him  and  Jasper  descending  the  ladder  in  company.  Quick 
as  language  could  express  her  meaning,  she  acquainted  her 
father  with  Jasper's  opinion  of  their  situation,  and  entreated 
him,  if  he  loved  her,  or  had  any  regard  for  his  own  life,  or 
for  those  of  his  own  men,  to  interfere  with  her  uncle,  and  to 
induce  him  to  yield  the  control  of  the  cutter,  again,  to  its 
proper  commander. 

"Jasper  is  true,  father,"  she  added,  earnestly,  "and  if 
false,  he  could  have  no  motive  in  wrecking  us  in  this  distant 
part  of  the  lake,  at  the  risk  of  all  our  lives,  his  own  included. 
I  will  pledge  my  own  life  for  his  truth." 

"Ay,  this  is  well  enough  for  a  young  woman  who  is 
frightened,"  answered  the  more  phlegmatic  parent  ;  "  but  it 
might  not  be  so  prudent  or  excusable  in  one  in  command  of 
an  expedition.  Jasper  may  think  the  chance  of  drowning  in 
getting  ashore  fully  repaid  by  the  chance  of  escaping  as  soon 
as  he  reaches  the  land." 

"  Sergeant  Dunham  !  " 

"Father!" 

These  exclamations  were  made  simultaneously,  but  they 
were  uttered  in  tones  expressive  of  different  feelings.  In 
Jasper,  surprise  was  the  emotion  uppermost  ;  in  Mabel,  re- 
proach. The  old  soldier,  however,  was  too  much  accustomed 
to  deal  frankly  with  subordinates  to  heed  either  ;  and,  after 
a  moment's  thought,  he  continued,  as  if  neither  had  spoken. 

"  Nor  is  brother  Cap  a  man  likely  to  submit  to  be  taught 
his  duty  on  board  a  vessel." 

"But,  father,  when  all  our  lives  are  in  the  utmost 
jeopardy  !  " 

'  '  So  much  the  worse.    The  fair  -  weather  commander  is  no 


267 


great  matter ;  it  is  when  things  go  wrong,  that  the  best 
officer  shows  himself  in  his  true  colors.  Charles  Cap  will  not 
be  likely  to  quit  the  helm  because  the  ship  is  in  danger. 
Besides,  Jasper  Eau-douce,  he  says  your  proposal,  in  itself, 
has  a  suspicious  air  about  it,  and  sounds  more  like  treachery 
than  reason." 

"He  may  think  so,  but  let  him  send  for  the  pilot,  and 
hear  his  opinion.  It  is  well  known  I  have  not  seen  the  man 
since  yesterday  evening. ' ' 

"This  does  sound  reasonably,  and  the  experiment  shall 
be  tried.  Follow  me  on  deck,  then,  that  all  may  be  honest 
and  above-board." 

Jasper  obeyed,  and  so  keen  was  the  interest  of  Mabel,  that 
she,  too,  ventured  as  far  as  the  companion-way,  where  her 
garments  were  sufficiently  protected  against  the  violence  of 
the  wind,  and  her  person  from  the  spray.  Here  maiden 
modesty  induced  her  to  remain,  though  an  absorbed  witness 
of  what  was  passing. 

The  pilot  soon  appeared,  and  there  was  no  mistaking  the 
look  of  concern  that  he  cast  around  at  the  scene,  as  soon  as 
he  was  in  the  open  air.  Some  rumors  of  the  situation  of  the 
Scud  had  found  their  way  below,  it  is  true ;  but  in  this 
instance,  rumor  had  lessened,  instead  of  magnifying  the 
dangers.  He  was  allowed  a  few  minutes  to  look  about  him, 
and  then  the  question  was  put  as  to  the  course  that  he 
thought  it  prudent  to  follow. 

"  I  see  no  means  of  saving  the  cutter  but  to  anchor,"  he 
answered,  simply,  and  without  hesitation. 

"What,  out  here,  in  the  lake  ? "  inquired  Cap,  as  he  had 
previously  done  of  Jasper. 

"No, — but  closer  in;  just  at  the  outer  line  of  the 
breakers. ' ' 

The  effect  of  this  communication  was  to  leave  no  doubt  in 
the  mind  of  Cap,  that  there  was  a  secret  arrangement 
between  her  commander  and  the  pilot  to  cast  away  the 
Scud  ;  most  probably  with  the  hope  of  effecting  their  escape. 
He  consequently  treated  the  opinion  of  the  latter  with  the 
indifference  he  had  manifested  towards  that  of  the  former. 

"  I  tell  you,  brother  Dunham,"  he  said,  in  answer  to  the 


268  ttbe  patbfinfcer 


remonstrances  of  the  sergeant  against  his  turning  a  deaf  ear 
to  this  double  representation,  "that  no  seaman  would  give 
such  an  opinion  honestly.  To  anchor  on  a  lee  shore,  in  a 
gale  of  wind,  would  be  an  act  of  madness  that  I  could  never 
excuse  to  the  underwriters,  under  any  circumstances,  as  long 
as  a  rag  can  be  set ;  but  to  anchor  close  to  breakers  would 
be  insanity. ' ' 

"His  majesty  underwrites  the  Scud,  brother,  and  I  am 
responsible  for  the  lives  of  my  command.  These  men  are 
better  acquainted  with  Lake  Ontario  than  we  can  possibly 
be,  and  I  do  think  their  telling  the  same  tale  entitles  them 
to  some  credit." 

"Uncle!"  said  Mabel,  earnestly, — but  a  gesture  from 
Jasper  induced  the  girl  to  restrain  her  feelings. 

"We  are  drifting  down  upon  the  breakers  so  rapidly," 
said  the  young  man,  ' '  that  little  need  be  said  on  the  sub- 
ject. Half  an  hour  must  settle  the  matter,  one  way  or  the 
other  ;  but  I  warn  Master  Cap  that  the  surest-footed  man 
among  us  will  not  be  able  to  keep  his  feet  an  instant  on  the 
deck  of  this  low  craft,  should  she  fairly  get  within  them. 
Indeed,  I  make  little  doubt  that  we  shall  fill  and  founder 
before  the  second  line  of  rollers  is  passed  ! ' ' 

"  And  how  would  anchoring  help  the  matter,"  demanded 
Cap,  furiously,  as  if  he  felt  that  Jasper  was  responsible  for 
the  effects  of  the  gale,  as  well  as  for  the  opinion  he  had  just 
given. 

"It  would  at  least  do  no  harm,"  Eau-douce  mildly 
replied.  "By  bringing  the  cutter  head  to  sea  we  should 
lessen  her  drift ;  and  even  if  we  dragged  through  the 
breakers,  it  would  be  with  the  least  possible  danger.  I 
hope,  Master  Cap,  you  will  allow  the  pilot  and  myself  to 
prepare  for  anchoring,  since  the  precaution  may  be  good, 
and  can  do  no  harm." 

"  Overhaul  your  ranges  if  you  will,  and  get  your  anchors 
clear,  with  all  my  heart.  We  are  now  in  a  situation  that 
cannot  be  much  affected  by  anything  of  that  sort.  Sergeant, 
a  word  with  you  aft  here,  if  you  please." 

Cap  led  his  brother-in-law  out  of  ear-shot,  and  then,  with 
more  of  human  feeling  in  his  voice  and  manner  than  he  was 


ZTbe  Ipatbffn&er  269 


apt  to  exhibit,  he  opened  his  heart  on  the  subject  of  their 
real  situation. 

"This  is  a  melancholy  affair  for  poor  Mabel,"  he  said, 
blowing  his  nose,  and  speaking  with  a  slight  tremor  ;  ' '  you 
and  I,  sergeant,  are  old  fellows,  and  used  to  being  near 
death,  if  not  to  actually  dying.  Our  trades  fit  us  for  such 
scenes  ;  but  poor  Mabel,  she  is  an  affectionate  and  kind- 
hearted  girl,  and  I  had  hoped  to  see  her  comfortably  settled  and 
a  mother,  before  my  time  came.  Well,  well ;  we  must  take 
the  bad  with  the  good  in  every  v'y'ge,  and  the  only  serious 
objection  that  an  old  seafaring  man  can  with  propriety  make 
to  such  an  event,  is  that  it  should  happen  on  this  bit  of 
d d  fresh  water." 

Sergeant  Dunham  was  a  brave  man,  and  had  shown  his 
spirit  in  scenes  that  looked  much  more  appalling  than  this. 
But  on  all  such  occasions  he  had  been  able  to  act  his  part 
against  his  foes,  while  here  he  was  pressed  upon  by  an 
enemy  whom  he  had  no  means  of  resisting.  For  himself  he 
cared  far  less  than  for  his  daughter,  feeling  some  of  that 
self-reliance  which  seldom  deserts  a  man  of  firmness,  who  is 
in  vigorous  health,  and  who  has  been  accustomed  to  per- 
sonal exertions  in  moments  of  jeopardy.  But  as  respects 
Mabel  he  saw  no  means  of  escape,  and  with  a  father's  fond- 
ness he  at  once  determined  that  if  either  was  doomed  to 
perish,  he  and  his  daughter  must  perish  together. 

' '  Do  you  think  this  must  come  to  pass  ?  "  he  asked  of 
Cap,  firmly,  but  with  strong  feeling. 

' '  Twenty  minutes  will  carry  us  into  the  breakers,  and 
look  for  yourself,  sergeant,  what  chance  will  even  the 
stoutest  man  among  us  have  in  that  caldron  to  leeward  ! ' ' 

The  prospect  was,  indeed,  little  calculated  to  encourage 
hope.  By  this  time  the  Scud  was  within  a  mile  of  the 
shore,  on  which  the  gale  was  blowing  at  right  angles, 
with  a  violence  that  forbade  the  idea  of  showing  any  addi- 
tional canvas  with  a  view  to  claw  off.  The  small  portion  of 
the  mainsail  that  was  actually  set,  and  which  merely  served 
to  keep  the  head  of  the  Scud  so  near  the  wind  as  to 
prevent  the  waves  from  breaking  over  her,  quivered  under 
the  gusts  as  if  at  each  moment  the  stout  threads  which 


27o  Tlbe  jpatbfiufcer 


held  the  complicated  fabric  together  were  about  to  be  torn 
asunder.  The  drizzle  had  ceased,  but  the  air  for  a  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  surface  of  the  lake  was  filled  with 
dazzling  spray,  which  had  an  appearance  not  unlike  that 
of  a  brilliant  mist,  while,  above  all,  the  sun  was  shining 
gloriously  in  a  cloudless  sky.  Jasper  had  noted  the  omen, 
and  had  foretold  that  it  announced  a  speedy  termination  to 
the  gale,  though  the  next  hour  or  two  must  decide  their 
fate.  Between  the  cutter  and  the  shore  the  view  was  still 
more  wild  and  appalling.  The  breakers  extended  near  half 
a  mile ;  while  the  water  within  their  line  was  white  with 
foam,  the  air  above  them  was  so  far  filled  with  vapor  and 
spray  as  to  render  the  land  beyond  hazy  and  indistinct. 
Still,  it  could  be  seen  that  the  latter  was  high,  not  a  usual 
thing  for  the  shores  of  Ontario,  and  that  it  was  covered  with 
the  verdant  mantle  of  the  interminable  forest. 

While  the  sergeant  and  Cap  were  gazing  at  this  scene  in 
silence,  Jasper  and  his  people  were  actively  engaged  on  the 
forecastle.  No  sooner  had  the  young  man  received  permis- 
sion to  resume  his  old  employment,  than,  appealing  to  some 
of  the  soldiers  for  aid,  he  mustered  five  or  six  assistants, 
and  set  about  in  earnest  the  performance  of  a  duty  that  had 
been  too  long  delaj^ed.  On  these  narrow  waters  anchors 
are  never  stowed  inboard,  or  cables  that  are  intended  for 
service  unbent,  and  Jasper  was  saved  much  of  the  labor  that 
would  have  been  necessary  in  a  vessel  at  sea.  The  two 
bowers  were  soon  ready  to  be  let  go,  ranges  of  the  cables 
were  overhauled,  and  then  the  party  paused  to  look  about 
them.  No  changes  for  the  better  had  occurred ;  but  the 
cutter  was  falling  slowly  in,  and  each  instant  rendered  it 
more  certain  that  she  could  not  gain  an  inch  to  windward. 

One  long,  earnest  survey  of  the  lake  ended,  Jasper  gave 
new  orders  in  a  manner  to  prove  how  much  he  thought  that 
the  time  pressed.  Two  kedges  were  got  on  deck,  and 
hawsers  were  bent  to  them  ;  the  inner  ends  of  the  hawsers 
were  bent  in  their  turns  to  the  crowns  of  the  anchors,  and 
everything  was  got  ready  to  throw  them  overboard  at  the 
proper  moment.  These  preparations  completed,  Jasper's 
manner  changed  from  the  excitement  of  exertion  to  a  look 


Hbe  jpatbttofcer  271 


of  calm  but  settled  concern.  He  quitted  the  forecastle, 
where  the  seas  were  dashing  inboard  at  every  plunge  of  the 
vessel,  the  duty  just  mentioned  having  been  executed  with 
the  bodies  of  the  crew  frequently  buried  in  the  water,  and 
walked  to  a  dryer  part  of  the  deck  aft.  Here  he  was  met 
by  the  Pathfinder,  who  was  standing  near  Mabel  and  the 
quartermaster.  Most  of  those  on  board,  with  the  exception 
of  the  individuals  who  have  already  been  particularly  men- 
tioned, were  below,  some  seeking  relief  from  physical  suf- 
fering on  their  pallets,  and  others  tardily  bethinking  them  of 
their  sins.  For  the  first  time,  most  probably,  since  her  keel 
had  dipped  into  the  limpid  waters  of  Ontario,  the  voice  of 
prayer  was  heard  on  board  the  Scud. 

' '  Jasper, ' '  commenced  his  friend  the  guide,  ' '  I  have  been 
of  no  use  this  morning,  for  my  gifts  are  of  little  account,  as 
you  know,  in  a  vessel  like  this ;  but,  should  it  please  God 
to  let  the  sergeant's  daughter  reach  the  shore  alive,  my 
acquaintance  with  the  forest  may  still  carry  her  through  in 
safety  to  the  garrison." 

"'Tis  a  fearful  distance  thither,  Pathfinder!"  Mabel 
rejoined,  the  party  being  so  near  together  that  all  that  was 
said  by  one  was  overheard  by  the  others.  ' '  I  am  afraid 
none  of  us  could  live  to  reach  the  fort." 

"  It  would  be  a  risky  path,  Mabel,  and  a  crooked  one; 
though  some  of  your  sex  have  undergone  even  more  than 
that,  in  this  wilderness.  But,  Jasper,  either  you  or  I,  or 
both  of  us,  must  man  this  bark  canoe  ;  Mabel's  only  chance 
will  lie  in  getting  through  the  breakers  in  that." 

"I  would  willingly  man  anything  to  save  Mabel," 
answered  Jasper,  with  a  melancholy  smile  ;  ' '  but  no  human 
hand,  Pathfinder,  could  carry  that  canoe  through  yonder 
breakers,  in  a  gale  like  this.  I  have  hopes  from  anchoring, 
after  all ;  for  once  before  have  we  saved  the  Scud  in  an 
extremity  nearly  as  great  as  this." 

"If  we  are  to  anchor,  Jasper,"  the  sergeant  inquired, 
"wiry  not  do  it  at  once?  Every  foot  we  lose  in  drifting 
now  would  come  into  the  distance  we  shall  probably  drag, 
when  the  anchors  are  let  go. ' ' 

Jasper  drew  nearer  to  the  sergeant,  and  took  his  hand, 


272  TTbe  jpatbfinber 


pressing  it  earnestly,  and  in  a  way  to  denote  strong,  almost 
uncontrollable  feelings. 

"  Sergeant  Dunham,"  he  said,  solemnly,  "  you  are  a  good 
man,  though  you  have  treated  me  harshly  in  this  business. 
You  love  your  daughter  ?  ' ' 

"That  you  cannot  doubt,  Eau-douce,"  returned  the  ser- 
geant, huskily. 

"Will you  give  her — give  us  all,  the  only  chance  for  life 
that  is  left?" 

"  What  would  you  have  me  to  do,  boy  ;  what  would  you 
have  me  to  do  ?  I  have  acted  according  to  my  judgment 
hitherto  ;  what  would  you  have  me  do  ?  " 

"  Support  me  against  Master  Cap  for  five  minutes,  and  all 
that  man  can  do  towards  saving  the  Scud,  shall  be  done." 

The  sergeant  hesitated,  for  he  was  too  much  of  a  disci- 
plinarian to  fly  in  the  face  of  regular  orders.  He  disliked 
the  appearance  of  vacillation,  too  ;  and  then  he  had  a  pro- 
found respect  for  his  kinsman's  seamanship.  While  he  was 
deliberating,  Cap  came  from  the  post  he  had  for  some  time 
occupied,  which  was  at  the  side  of  the  man  at  the  helm,  and 
drew  nigh  the  group. 

"  Master  Eau-douce,"  he  said,  as  soon  as  near  enough  to 
be  heard,  "  I  have  come  to  inquire  if  you  know  any  spot 
near  by,  where  this  cutter  can  be  beached  ?  The  moment 
has  arrived  when  we  are  driven  to  this  hard  alternative." 

That  instant  of  indecision  on  the  part  of  Cap  secured  the 
triumph  of  Jasper.  Looking  at  the  sergeant,  the  young 
man  received  a  nod  that  assured  him  of  all  he  asked,  and  he 
lost  not  one  of  those  moments  that  were  getting  to  be  so 
very  precious. 

"  Shall  I  take  the  helm?  "  he  inquired  of  Cap,  "and  see 
if  we  can  reach  a  creek  that  lies  to  leeward  ?  " 

"Do  so— do  so,"  said  the  other,  hemming  to  clear  his 
throat,  for  he  felt  oppressed  by  a  responsibility  that  weighed 
all  the  heavier  on  his  shoulders,  on  account  of  his  ignorance. 
"  Do  so,  Oh-the-deuce,  since,  to  be  frank  with  you,  I  can 
see  nothing  better  to  be  done.  We  must  beach  or  swamp  !  " 

Jasper  required  no  more ;  springing  aft,  he  soon  had  the 
tiller  in  his  own  hands.  The  pilot  was  prepared  for  what 


TTbe 


was  to  follow,  and,  at  a  sign  from  his  young  commander,  the 
rag  of  sail  that  had  so  long  been  set  was  taken  in.  At  that 
moment,  Jasper,  watching  his  time,  put  the  helm  up,  the 
head  of  a  stay-sail  was  soon  loosened  forward,  and  the  light 
cutter,  as  if  conscious  she  was  now  under  the  control  of 
familiar  hands,  fell  off,  and  was  soon  in  the  trough  of  the 
sea.  This  perilous  instant  was  passed  in  safety,  and  at  the 
next  moment  the  little  vessel  appeared  flying  down  towards 
the  breakers,  at  a  rate  that  threatened  instant  destruction. 
The  distances  had  got  to  be  so  short,  that  five  or  six  minutes 
sufficed  for  all  that  Jasper  wished,  and  he  put  the  helm 
down  again,  when  the  bows  of  the  Scud  came  up  to  the 
wind,  notwithstanding  the  turbulence  of  the  waters,  as  grace- 
fully as  the  duck  varies  its  line  of  direction  on  the  glassy 
pond.  A  sign  from  Jasper  set  all  in  motion  on  the  fore- 
castle, and  a  kedge  was  thrown  from  each  bow.  The  fear- 
ful nature  of  the  drift  was  now  apparent  even  to  Mabel's 
eyes,  for  the  two  hawsers  ran  out  like  towlines.  As  soon 
as  they  straightened  to  a  slight  strain,  both  anchors  were 
let  go,  and  cable  was  given  to  each,  nearly  to  the  better- 
ends.  It  was  not  a  difficult  task  to  snub  so  light  a  craft, 
with  ground  tackle  of  a  quality  better  than  common  ;  and 
in  less  than  ten  minutes  from  the  moment  when  Jasper 
went  to  the  helm,  the  Scud  was  riding,  head  to  sea,  with 
the  two  cables  stretched  ahead  in  lines  that  resembled  bars 
of  iron. 

'  '  This  is  not  well  done,  Master  Jasper  !  '  '  angrily  ex- 
claimed Cap,  as  soon  as  he  perceived  the  trick  that  had 
been  played  him,  "this  is  not  well  done,  sir;  I  order  you 
to  cut,  and  to  beach  the  cutter,  without  a  moment's  delay." 

No  one,  however,  seemed  disposed  to  comply  with  this 
order,  for  so  long  as  Kau-douce  saw  fit  to  command,  his 
own  people  were  disposed  to  obey.  Finding  that  the  men 
remained  passive,  Cap,  who  believed  they  were  in  the  ut- 
most peril,  turned  fiercely  to  Jasper,  and  renewed  his 
remonstrances. 

"You  did  not  head  for  your  pretended  creek,"  he  added, 
after  dealing  in  some  objurgatory  remarks  that  we  do  not 
deem  it  necessary  to  record,  "but  steered  for  that  bluff, 


274  ftbe  patbfinfcer 


where  every  soul  on  board  would  have  been  drowned,  had 
we  gone  ashore  !  " 

"And  you  wish  to  cut,  and  put  every  soul  ashore,  at  that 
very  spot ! ' '  Jasper  retorted,  a  little  dryly. 

"  Throw  a  lead-line  overboard,  and  ascertain  the  drift !  " 
Cap  now  roared  to  the  people  forward.  A  sign  from  Jasper 
sustaining  this  order,  it  was  instantly  obeyed.  All  on 
deck  gathered  round  the  spot,  and  watched,  with  nearly 
breathless  interest,  the  result  of  the  experiment.  The  lead 
was  no  sooner  on  the  bottom  than  the  line  tended  forward, 
and  in  about  two  minutes  it  was  seen  that  the  cutter  had 
drifted  her  length,  dead  in  towards  the  bluff.  Jasper  looked 
grave,  for  he  well  knew  nothing  would  hold  the  vessel  did 
she  get  within  the  vortex  of  the  breakers,  the  first  line  of 
which  was  appearing  and  disappearing  about  a  cable's  length 
directly  under  their  stern. 

' '  Traitor ! ' '  exclaimed  Cap,  shaking  a  finger  at  the 
young  commander,  though  passion  choked  the  rest.  ' '  You 
must  answer  for  this  with  your  life  !  "  he  added,  after  a 
short  pause.  "If  I  were  at  the  head  of  this  expedition, 
sergeant,  I  would  hang  him  at  the  end  of  the  main-boom, 
lest  he  escape  drowning." 

' '  Moderate  your  feelings,  brother — be  more  moderate, 
I  beseech  you  ;  Jasper  appears  to  have  done  all  for  the  best, 
and  matters  may  not  be  as  bad  as  you  believe  them." 

"Why  did  he  not  run  for  the  creek  he  mentioned ;  why 
has  he  brought  us  here,  dead  to  windward  of  that  bluff,  and 
to  a  spot  where  even  the  breakers  are  only  of  half  the 
ordinary  width,  as  if  in  a  hurry  to  drown  all  on  board  ?  ' ' 

' '  I  headed  for  the  bluff,  for  the  precise  reason  that  the 
breakers  are  so  narrow  at  this  spot,"  answered  Jasper, 
mildly,  though  his  gorge  had  risen  at  the  language  the  other 
held. 

"Do  you  mean  to  tell  an  old  seaman  like  me,  that  this 
cutter  could  live  in  those  breakers  ? ' ' 

"I  do  not,  sir.  I  think  she  would  fill  and  swamp,  if 
driven  into  the  first  line  of  them ;  I  am  certain  she  would 
never  reach  the  shore  on  her  bottom,  if  fairly  entered.  I 
hope  to  keep  her  clear  of  them  altogether." 


275 


"  With  a  drift  of  her  length  in  a  minute  !  " 

"The  backing  of  the  anchors  does  not  yet  fairly  tell,  nor 
do  I  even  hope  that  they  will  entirely  bring  her  up." 

' '  On  what  do  you  rely  ?  To  moor  a  craft,  head  and  stern, 
by  faith,  hope,  and  charity?" 

' '  No,  sir  ;  I  trust  to  the  under-tow.  I  headed  for  the 
bluff,  because  I  knew  that  it  was  stronger  at  that  point  than 
at  any  other,  and  because  we  could  get  nearer  in  with  the 
land  without  entering  the  breakers." 

This  was  said  with  spirit,  though  without  any  particular 
show  of  resentment.  Its  effect  on  Cap  was  marked,  the 
feeling  that  was  uppermost  being  evidently  that  of  surprise. 

' '  Under-tow  !  "  he  repeated,  ' '  who  the  devil  ever  heard 
of  saving  a  vessel  from  going  ashore  by  the  under-tow  ! ' ' 

"This  may  never  happen  on  the  ocean,  sir,"  Jasper  an- 
swered, modestly,  "  but  we  have  known  it  to  happen  here." 

"The  lad  is  right,  brother,"  put  in  the  sergeant;  "for 
though  I  do  not  well  understand  it,  I  have  often  heard  the 
sailors  of  the  lake  speak  of  such  a  thing.  We  shall  do  well 
to  trust  to  Jasper,  in  this  strait." 

Cap  grumbled  and  swore,  but  as  there  was  no  remedy, 
he  was  compelled  to  acquiesce.  Jasper  being  now  called 
on  to  explain  what  he  meant  by  the  under-tow,  gave  this 
account  of  the  matter.  The  water  that  was  driven  up  on 
the  shore  by  the  gale,  was  necessarily  compelled  to  find  its 
level  by  returning  to  the  lake  by  some  secret  channels. 
This  could  not  be  done  on  the  surface,  where  both  wind  and 
waves  were  constantly  urging  it  towards  the  land,  and  it 
necessarily  formed  a  sort  of  lower  eddy,  by  means  of  which 
it  flowed  back  again  to  its  ancient  and  proper  bed.  This 
inferior  current  had  received  the  name  of  the  under-tow ; 
and  it  would  necessarily  act  on  the  bottom  of  a  vessel  that 
drew  as  much  water  as  the  Scud,  Jasper  trusted  to  the  aid 
of  this  reaction  to  keep  his  cables  from  parting.  In  short, 
the  upper  and  lower  currents  would,  in  a  manner,  counteract 
each  other. 

Simple  and  ingenious  as  was  this  theory,  however,  as  yet 
there  was  little  evidence  of  its  being  reduced  to  practice. 
The  drift  continued ;  though  as  the  kedges  and  hawsers 


276 


with  which  the  anchors  were  backed,  took  the  strains,  it 
became  sensibly  less.  At  length  the  men  at  the  lead  an- 
nounced the  joyful  intelligence,  that  the  anchors  had  ceased 
to  drag,  and  that  the  vessel  had  brought  up  !  At  this  pre- 
cise moment,  the  first  line  of  breakers  was  about  a  hundred 
feet  astern  of  the  Scud,  even  appearing  to  approach  much 
nearer,  as  the  foam  vanished  and  returned  on  the  raging 
surges.  Jasper  sprang  forward,  and  casting  a  glance  over 
the  bows,  he  smiled  in  triumph,  as  he  pointed  exultingly  to 
the  cables.  Instead  of  resembling  bars  of  iron  in  rigidity, 
as  before,  they  were  curving  downwards,  and  to  a  seaman's 
senses  it  was  evident  that  the  cutter  rose  and  fell  on  the 
seas  as  they  came  in,  with  the  ease  of  a  ship  in  a  tides- way 
when  the  power  of  the  wind  is  relieved  by  the  counteracting 
pressure  of  the  water. 

"'T  is  the  under-tow  !  "  he  exclaimed  with  delight,  fairly 
bounding  along  the  deck  to  steady  the  helm,  in  order  that 
the  cutter  might  ride  still  easier;  "Providence  has  placed 
us  directly  in  its  current,  and  there  is  no  longer  any  dan- 
ger!" 

"Ay,  ay,  Providence  is  a  good  seaman,"  growled  Cap, 
"and  often  helps  lubbers  out  of  difficulty.  Under-tow  or 
upper-tow,  the  gale  has  abated,  and  fortunately  for  us  all, 
the  anchors  have  met  with  good  holding  ground.  Then 
this  d d  fresh  water  has  an  unnatural  way  with  it." 

Men  are  seldom  inclined  to  quarrel  with  good  fortune, 
but  it  is  in  distress  that  they  grow  clamorous  and  critical. 
Most  on  board  were  disposed  to  believe  that  they  had  been 
saved  from  shipwreck  by  the  skill  and  knowledge  of  Jas- 
per, without  regarding  the  opinions  of  Cap,  whose  remarks 
were  now  little  heeded. 

There  was  half  an  hour  of  uncertainty  and  doubt,  it  is 
true,  during  which  period  the  lead  was  anxiously  watched  ; 
and  then  a  feeling  of  security  came  over  all,  and  the  weary 
slept  without  dreaming  of  instant  death. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

"  It  is  to  be  all  made  of  sighs  and  tears  ; 
It  is  to  be  all  made  of  faith  and  service  : 
It  is  to  be  all  made  of  fantasy, — 
All  made  of  passion,  and  all  made  of  wishes  : 
All  adoration,  duty,  and  observance  ; 
All  humbleness,  all  patience,  and  impatience, 
All  purity,  all  trial,  all  observance." 

As  You  Like  It. 

IT  was  near  noon  when  the  gale  broke;  and  then  its 
force  abated   as  suddenly  as  its  violence  had  arisen. 
In  less  than  two  hours  after  the  wind  fell,  the  surface 
of  the  lake,  though  still  agitated,  was  no  longer  glitter- 
ing with  foam;  and  in  double  that  time,  the  entire  sheet 
presented  the   ordinary  scene  of  disturbed  water,  that  was 
unbroken  by   the  violence  of  a  tempest.     Still,  the  waves 
came  rolling  incessantly  towards  the  shore,  and  the  lines  of 
breakers  remained,  though  the  spray  had  ceased  to  fly  ;  the 
coaming  of  the  swells  was  more  moderate,  and  all  that  there 
was  of  violence  proceeded  from  the  impulsion  of  wind  that 
had  abated. 

As  it  was  impossible  to  make  head  against  the  sea  that 
was  still  up,  with  the  light  opposing  air  that  blew  from  the 
eastward,  all  thoughts  of  getting  under  way  that  afternoon 
were  abandoned.  Jasper,  who  had  now  quietly  resumed  the 
command  of  the  Scud,  busied  himself,  however,  in  heaving 
up  to  the  anchors,  which  were  lifted  in  succession.  The 
kedges  that  backed  them  were  weighed,  and  everything  was 
got  in  readiness  for  a  prompt  departure,  as  soon  as  the  state 
of  the  weather  would  allow.  In  the  meantime,  they  who 
277 


278  tlbe 


had  no  concern  with  those  duties  sought  such  means  of 
amusement  as  their  peculiar  circumstances  allowed. 

As  is  common  with  those  who  are  unused  to  the  confine- 
ment of  a  vessel,  Mabel  cast  wistful  eyes  towards  the  shore, 
nor  was  it  long  before  she  expressed  a  wish  that  it  were  pos- 
sible to  land.  The  Pathfinder  was  near  her  at  the  time,  and 
he  assured  her  that  nothing  would  be  easier,  as  they  had  a 
bark  canoe  on  deck,  which  was  the  best  possible  mode  of 
conveyance  to  go  through  a  surf.  After  the  usual  doubts 
and  misgivings,  the  sergeant  was  appealed  to  ;  his  opinion 
proved  to  be  favorable,  and  preparations  to  carry  the  whim 
into  effect  were  immediately  made. 

The  party  that  was  to  land  consisted  of  Sergeant  Dunham, 
his  daughter,  and  the  Pathfinder.  Accustomed  to  the  canoe, 
Mabel  took  her  s«cat  in  the  centre  with  great  steadiness,  her 
father  was  placed  in  the  bows,  while  the  guide  assumed  the 
office  of  conductor,  by  steering  in  the  stern.  There  was 
little  need  of  impelling  the  canoe  by  means  of  the  paddle, 
for  the  rollers  sent  it  forward,  at  moments,  with  a  violence 
that  set  every  effort  to  govern  its  movements  at  defiance. 
More  than  once,  ere  the  shore  was  reached,  Mabel  repented  of 
her  temerity,  but  Pathfinder  encouraged  her,  and  really  mani- 
fested so  much  self-possession,  coolness,  and  strength  of  arm 
himself,  that  even  a  female  might  have  hesitated  about  own- 
ing all  her  apprehensions.  Our  heroine  was  no  coward,  and 
while  she  felt  the  novelty  of  her  situation,  she  also  experi- 
enced a  fair  proportion  of  its  wild  delight.  At  moments, 
indeed,  her  heart  was  in  her  mouth,  as  the  bubble  of  a  boat 
floated  on  the  very  crest  of  a  foaming  breaker,  appearing 
to  skim  the  water  like  a  swallow,  and  then  she  flushed  and 
laughed,  as,  left  by  the  glancing  element,  they  appeared  to 
linger  behind,  ashamed  of  having  been  outdone  in  the  head- 
long race.  A  few  minutes  sufficed  for  this  excitement,  for, 
though  the  distance  between  the  cutter  and  the  land  consid- 
erably exceeded  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  the  intermediate  space 
was  passed  in  a  very  few  moments. 

On  landing,  the  sergeant  kissed  his  daughter  kindly, 
for  he  was  so  much  of  a  soldier  as  always  to  feel  more 
at  home  on  terra,  firma  than  when  afloat,  and  taking  his 


TTbe  patbfinfcer  279 


gun,  he  announced  his  intention  to  pass  an  hour  in  quest 
of  game. 

"  Pathfinder  will  remain  near  you,  girl,  and  no  doubt  he 
will  tell  you  some  of  the  traditions  of  this  part  of  the  world, 
or  some  of  his  own  experiences  with  the  Mingos. ' ' 

The  guide  laughed,  promised  to  have  a  care  of  Mabel,  and 
in  a  few  minutes  the  father  had  ascended  a  steep  acclivity, 
and  disappeared  in  the  forest.  The  others  took  another 
direction,  which,  after  a  few  minutes  of  sharp  ascent  also, 
brought  them  to  a  small  naked  point  on  the  promontory, 
where  the  eye  overlooked  an  extensive  and  very  peculiar 
panorama.  Here  Mabel  seated  herself  on  a  fragment  of 
fallen  rock,  to  recover  her  breath  and  strength,  while  her 
companion,  on  whose  sinews  no  personal  exertion  seemed  to 
make  any  impression,  stood  at  her  side,  leaning  in  his  own 
and  not  ungraceful  manner  on  his  long  rifle.  Several  min- 
utes passed,  and  neither  spoke  ;  Mabel,  in  particular,  being 
lost  in  admiration  of  the  view. 

The  position  the  two  had  attained  was  sufficiently  elevated 
to  command  a  wide  reach  of  the  lake,  which  stretched  away 
towards  the  northeast  in  a  boundless  sheet,  glittering  beneath 
the  rays  of  an  afternoon  sun,  and  yet  betraying  the  remains 
of  that  agitation  which  it  had  endured  while  tossed  by  the 
late  tempest.  The  land  set  bounds  to  its  limits,  in  a  huge 
crescent,  disappearing  in  distance  towards  the  southeast  and 
the  north.  Far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  nothing  but  forest 
was  visible,  not  even  a  solitary  sign  of  civilization  breaking 
in  upon  the  uniform  and  grand  magnificence  of  nature.  The 
gale  had  driven  the  Scud  beyond  the  line  of  those  forts  with 
which  the  French  were  then  endeavoring  to  gird  the  English 
North  American  possessions  ;  for,  following  the  channels  of 
communication  between  the  great  lakes,  their  posts  were  on 
the  banks  of  the  Niagara,  while  our  adventurers  had  reached 
a  point  many  leagues  westward  of  that  celebrated  strait. 
The  cutter  rode  at  single  anchor,  without  the  breakers, 
resembling  some  well  imagined  and  accurately  executed  toy, 
that  was  intended  rather  for  a  glass  case  than  for  the  strug- 
gles with  the  elements  which  she  had  so  lately  gone  through  ; 
while  the  canoe  lay  on  the  narrow  beach,  just  out  of  reach 


28o  Ube  patbfin&er 


of  the  waves  that  came  booming  upon  the  land,  a  speck 
upon  the  shingles. 

"We  are  very  far,  here,  from  human  habitations!"  ex- 
claimed Mabel,  when,  after  a  long  and  musing  survey  of 
the  scene,  its  principal  peculiarities  forced  themselves  on  her 
active  and  ever  brilliant  imagination  ;  ' '  this  is,  indeed,  being 
on  the  frontier  !  ' ' 

"  Have  they  more  sightly  scenes  than  this,  nearer  the  sea, 
and  around  their  large  towns  ?  ' '  demanded  Pathfinder,  with 
an  interest  he  was  apt  to  discover  in  such  a  subject. 

"  I  will  not  say  that ;  there  is  more  to  remind  one  of  his 
fellow-beings  there  than  here  ;  less,  perhaps,  to  remind  one 
of  God." 

"Ay,  Mabel,  that  is  what  my  own  feelings  say.  I  am 
but  a  poor  hunter,  I  know;  untaught  and  unl'arned;  but 
God  is  as  near  me,  in  this  my  home,  as  He  is  near  the  king 
in  his  royal  palace." 

"Who  can  doubt  it?"  returned  Mabel,  looking  from  the 
view  up  into  the  hard-featured  but  honest  face  of  her  com- 
panion, though  not  without  surprise  at  the  energy  of  his 
manner ;  ' '  one  feels  nearer  to  God  in  such  a  spot,  I  think, 
than  when  the  mind  is  distracted  by  the  objects  of  the 
towns." 

"  You  say  all  I  wish  to  say  myself,  Mabel,  but  in  so  much 
plainer  speech  that  you  make  me  ashamed  of  wishing  to  let 
others  know  what  I  feel  on  such  matters.  I  have  coasted 
this  lake  in  s'arch  of  skins,  afore  the  war,  and  have  been 
here  already ;  not  at  this  very  spot,  for  we  landed  yonder, 
where  you  may  see  the  blasted  oak  that  stands  above  the 
cluster  of  hemlocks — " 

' '  How  !  Pathfinder,  can  you  remember  all  these  trifles  so 
accurately ! ' ' 

"These  are  our  streets  and  houses  ;  our  churches  and 
palaces.  Remember  them,  indeed !  I  once  made  an  ap- 
pointment with  the  Big  Sarpent,  to  meet  at  twelve  o'clock 
at  noon  near  the  foot  of  a  certain  pine,  at  the  end  of  six 
months,  when  neither  of  us  was  within  three  hundred  miles 
of  the  spot.  The  tree  stood,  and  stands  still,  unless  the 
judgment  of  Providence  has  lighted  on  that  too,  in  the 


ZTbe  jpatbfin&er  281 


midst  of  the  forest,  fifty  miles  from  any  settlement,  but  in  a 
most  extraordinary  neighborhood  for  beaver. ' ' 

' '  And  did  you  meet  at  that  very  spot  and  hour  ?  ' ' 

"Does  the  sun  rise  and  set?  When  I  reached  the  tree, 
I  found  the  Sarpent  leaning  against  its  trunk,  with  torn  leg- 
gings and  muddied  moccasins.  The  Delaware  had  got  into 
a  swamp,  and  it  worried  him  not  a  little  to  find  his  way  out 
of  it ;  but,  as  the  sun,  which  comes  over  the  eastern  hills  in 
the  morning,  goes  down  behind  the  western  at  night,  so  was 
he  true  to  time  and  place.  No  fear  of  Chingachgook  when 
there  is  either  a  friend  or  an  enemy  in  the  case.  He  is 
equally  sart'in  with  each." 

"  And  where  is  the  Delaware  now — why  is  he  not  with  us 
to-day  ? ' ' 

' '  He  is  scoutin'  on  the  Mingo  trail,  where  I  ought  to  have 
been  too,  but  for  a  great  human  infirmity." 

"  You  seem  above,  beyond,  superior  to  all  infirmity,  Path- 
finder ;  I  never  yet  met  with  a  man  who  appeared  to  be  so 
little  liable  to  the  weaknesses  of  nature. ' ' 

"  If  you  mean  in  the  way  of  health  and  strength,  Mabel, 
Providence  has  been  kind  to  me  ;  though  I  fancy  the  open 
air,  long  hunts,  active  scoutin' s,  forest  fare,  and  the  sleep 
of  a  good  conscience,  may  always  keep  the  doctors  at  a  dis- 
tance. But  I  am  human  a'ter  all ;  yes,  I  find  I  'm  very 
human  in  some  of  my  feelin's." 

Mabel  looked  surprised,  and  it  would  be  no  more  than 
delineating  the  character  of  her  sex,  if  we  added  that  her 
sweet  countenance  expressed  a  good  deal  of  curiosity,  too, 
though  her  tongue  was  more  discreet. 

' '  There  is  something  bewitching  in  this  wild  life  of  yours, 
Pathfinder, ' '  she  exclaimed,  a  tinge  of  enthusiasm  mantling 
her  cheeks.  "  I  find  I  'm  fast  getting  to  be  a  frontier  girl, 
and  am  coming  to  love  all  this  grand  silence  of  the  woods. 
The  towns  seem  tame  to  me  ;  and,  as  my  father  will  proba- 
bly pass  the  remainder  of  his  days  here,  where  he  has  already 
lived  so  long,  I  begin  to  feel  that  I  should  be  happy  to  con- 
tinue with  him,  and  not  return  to  the  seashore." 

"The  woods  are  never  silent,  Mabel,  to  such  as  understand 
their  meaning.  Days  at  a  time,  have  I  travelled  them  alone, 


282  Ube  patbfinDer 

without  feeling  the  want  of  company  ;  and,  as  for  conversa- 
tion, for  such  as  can  comprehend  their  language,  there  is  no 
want  of  rational  and  instructive  discourse." 

"I  believe  you  are  happier  when  alone,  Pathfinder,  than 
when  mingling  with  your  fellow-creatures. ' ' 

"  I  will  not  say  that — I  will  not  say  exactly  that  !  I  have 
seen  the  time  when  I  have  thought  that  God  was  sufficient 
for  me  in  the  forest,  and  that  I  craved  no  more  than  his 
bounty,  and  his  care.  But  other  feelin's  have  got  upper- 
most, and  I  suppose  natur'  will  have  its  way.  All  other 
creatur'smate,  Mabel,  and  it  was  intended  man  should  do  so, 
too." 

' '  And  have  you  never  bethought  you  of  seeking  a  wife, 
Pathfinder,  to  share  your  fortunes?  "  inquired  the  girl,  with 
the  directness  and  simplicity  that  the  pure  of  heart,  and  the 
undesigning,  are  the  most  apt  to  manifest,  and  with  that  feel' 
ing  of  affection  which  is  inbred  in  her  sex.  ' '  To  me,  it 
seems,  you  only  want  a  home  to  return  to,  from  your  wander- 
ings, to  render  your  life  completely  happy.  Were  I  a  man, 
it  would  be  my  delight  to  roam  through  these  forests  at  will, 
or  to  sail  over  this  beautiful  lake." 

"I  understand  you,  Mabel ;  and  God  bless  you  for  think- 
ing of  the  welfare  of  men  as  humble  as  we  are.  We  have  our 
pleasures,  it  is  true,  as  well  as  our  gifts,  but  we  might  be 
happier ;  yes,  I  do  think  we  might  be  happier." 

"Happier!  in  what  way,  Pathfinder?  In  this  pure  air, 
with  these  cool  and  shaded  forests  to  wander  through,  this 
lovely  lake  to  gaze  at,  and  sail  upon,  with  clear  consciences, 
and  abundance  for  all  the  real  wants,  men  ought  to  be  noth- 
ing less  than  as  perfectly  happy  as  their  infirmities  will  allow. ' ' 

"Every  creatur'  has  its  gifts,  Mabel,  and  men  have 
their' n,"  answered  the  guide,  looking  stealthily  at  his  beau- 
tiful companion,  whose  cheeks  had  flushed  and  eyes  bright- 
ened under  the  ardor  of  feelings  excited  by  the  novelty  of 
her  striking  situation  ;  ' '  and  all  must  obey  them.  Do  you 
see  yonder  pigeon  that  is  just  alightin'  on  the  beech,— here 
in  a  line  with  the  fallen  chestnut  ?  ' ' 

"Certainly;  it  is  the  only  thing  stirring  with  life  in  it, 
besides  ourselves,  that  is  to  be  seen  in  this  vast  solitude." 


ZTbe  jpatbfinfcer  283 


"  Not  so,  Mabel,  not  so  ;  Providence  makes  nothing  that 
lives,  to  live  quite  alone.  Here  is  its  mate,  just  rising  on  the 
wing ;  it  has  been  feedin'  near  the  other  beech,  but  it  will 
not  long  be  separated  from  its  companion." 

"I  understand  you,  Pathfinder,"  returned  Mabel,  smiling 
sweetly,  though  as  calmly  as  if  the  discourse  was  with  her 
father.  ' '  But  a  hunter  may  find  a  mate,  even  in  this  wild 
region.  The  Indian  girls  are  affectionate  and  true,  I  know, 
for  such  was  the  wife  of  Arrowhead,  to  a  husband  who 
oftener  frowned  than  smiled. ' ' 

' '  That  would  never  do,  Mabel,  and  good  would  never  come 
of  it.  Kind  must  cling  to  kind,  and  country  to  country,  if 
one  would  find  happiness.  If,  indeed,  I  could  meet  with  one 
like  you,  who  would  consent  to  be  a  hunter's  wife,  and  who 
would  not  scorn  my  ignorance  and  rudeness,  then,  indeed, 
would  all  the  toil  of  the  past  appear  like  the  sporting  of  the 
young  deer,  and  all  the  future  like  sunshine  ! ' ' 

' '  One  like  me  !  A  girl  of  my  years  and  indiscretion  would 
hardly  make  a  fit  companion  for  the  boldest  scout  and  surest 
hunter  on  the  lines. ' ' 

' '  Ah  !  Mabel,  I  fear  me  that  I  have  been  improving  a  red- 
skin's  gifts,  with  a  pale- face's  natur'  !  Such  a  character 
would  insure  a  wife,  in  an  Injin  village." 

"  Surely,  surely,  Pathfinder,  you  would  not  think  of  choos- 
ing one  as  ignorant,  as  frivolous,  as  vain,  and  as  inexperi- 
enced as  I,  for  your  wife  ! ' '  Mabel  would  have  added,  ' '  and 
as  young,"  but  an  instinctive  feeling  of  delicacy  repressed 
the  words. ' ' 

' '  And  why  not,  Mabel  ?  If  you  are  ignorant  of  frontier 
usages,  you  know  more  than  all  of  us  of  pleasant  anecdotes 
and  town  customs ;  as  for  frivolous,  I  know  not  what  it 
means,  but  if  it  signifies  beauty,  ah  's  me  !  I  fear  it  is  no 
fault  in  my  eyes.  Vain  you  are  not,  as  is  seen  by  the  kind 
manner  in  which  you  listen  to  all  my  idle  tales  about  scout- 
in' s,  and  trails ;  and  as  for  experience,  that  will  come  with 
years.  Besides,  Mabel,  I  fear  men  think  little  of  these  mat- 
ters, when  they  are  about  to  take  wives,  I  do." 

"  Pathfinder  !  your  words — your  looks — surely  all  this  is 
meant  in  trifling — you  speak  in  pleasantry  ! ' ' 


284  ^&e  patbfinfcer 


"  To  me  it  is  always  agreeable  to  be  near  you,  Mabel,  and 
I  should  sleep  sounder  this  blessed  night,  than  I  have  done 
for  a  week  past,  could  I  think  that  you  find  such  discourse  as 
pleasant  as  I  do." 

We  shall  not  say  that  Mabel  Dunham  had  not  believed 
herself  a  favorite  with  the  guide.  This  her  quick,  feminine 
sagacity  had  early  discovered,  and  perhaps  she  had  occasion- 
ally thought  there  had  mingled  with  his  regard  and  friend- 
ship, some  of  that  manly  tenderness  which  the  ruder  sex 
must  be  coarse  indeed  not  to  show,  on  occasions,  to  the 
gentler ;  but  the  idea  that  he  seriously  sought  her  for  his 
wife  had  never  before  crossed  the  mind  of  the  spirited  and 
ingenuous  girl.  Now,  however,  a  gleam  of  something  like 
the  truth  broke  in  upon  her  imagination,  less  induced  by  the 
words  of  her  companion,  perhaps,  than  by  his  manner. 
Looking  earnestly  into  the  rugged,  honest  countenance  of 
the  scout,  Mabel's  own  features  became  concerned  and 
grave,  and  when  she  spoke  again,  it  was  with  a  gentleness 
of  manner  that  attracted  him  to  her  even  more  powerfully 
than  the  words  themselves  were  calculated  to  repel. 

"You  and  I  should  understand  each  other,  Pathfinder," 
she  said,  with  an  earnest  sincerity,  "  nor  should  there  be  any 
cloud  between  us.  You  are  too  upright  and  frank  to  meet 
with  anything  but  sincerity  and  frankness  in  return.  Surely, 
surely,  all  this  means  nothing,  has  no  other  connection  with 
your  feelings,  than  such  a  friendship  as  one  of  your  wisdom 
and  character  would  naturally  feel  for  a  girl  like  me  !  " 

"  I  believe  it 's  nat'ral,  Mabel ;  yes.  I  do  ;  the  sergeant 
tells  me  he  had  such  feelings  towards  your  own  mother,  and 
I  think  I  've  seen  something  like  it,  in  the  young  people  I 
have  from  time  to  time  guided  through  the  wilderness.  Yes, 
yes ;  I  dare  say  ft  's  all  nat'ral  enough,  and  that  makes  it 
come  so  easy,  and  is  a  great  comfort  to  me." 

"  Pathfinder,  your  words  make  me  uneasy  !  Speak  plainer, 
or  change  the  subject  forever.  You  do  not — cannot  mean 
that— you— cannot  wish  me  to  understand "— even  the 
tongue  of  the  spirited  Mabel  faltered,  and  she  shrank  with 
maiden  shame  from  adding  what  she  wished  so  earnestly  to 
say.  Rallying  her  courage,  however,  and  determined  to 


patbffn&er  285 


know  all  as  soon  and  as  plainly  as  possible,  after  a  moment's 
hesitation  she  continued,  "  I  mean,  Pathfinder,  that  you  do 
not  wish  me  to  understand  that  you  seriously  think  of  me  as 
a  wife  ? ' ' 

"  I  do,  Mabel ;  that  's  it — that  's  just  it,  and  you  have  put 
the  matter  in  a  much  better  point  of  view  than  I,  with  my 
forest  gifts  and  frontier  ways,  would  ever  be  able  to  do.  The 
sergeant  and  I  have  concluded  on  the  matter,  if  it  is  agree- 
able to  you,  as  he  thinks  is  likely  will  be  the  case,  though 
I  doubt  my  own  power  to  please  one  who  deserves  the  best 
husband  America  can  produce." 

Mabel's  countenance  changed  from  uneasiness  to  sur- 
prise, and  then  by  a  transition  still  quicker,  from  surprise  to 
pain. 

"My  father!"  she  exclaimed.  "My  dear  father  has 
thought  of  my  becoming  your  wife,  Pathfinder  ! ' ' 

' '  Yes,  he  has,  Mabel ;  he  has  indeed.  He  has  even  thought 
such  a  thing  might  be  agreeable  to  you,  and  has  almost  en- 
couraged me  to  fancy  it  might  be  true. ' ' 

"But  you,  yourself— you  certainly  can  care  nothing 
whether  this  singular  expectation  shall  ever  be  realized  or 
not?" 

"  Anan?" 

"  I  mean,  Pathfinder,  that  you  have  talked  of  this  match 
more  to  oblige  my  father  than  anything  else ;  that  your 
feelings  are  no  way  concerned,  let  my  answer  be  what  it 
may?  " 

The  scout  looked  earnestly  into  the  beautiful  face  of  Ma- 
bel, which  had  flushed  with  the  ardor  and  novelty  of  her 
sensations,  and  it  was  impossible  to  mistake  the  intense 
admiration  that  betrayed  itself  in  every  lineament  of  his 
ingenuous  countenance. 

"  I  have  often  thought  myself  happy,  Mabel,  when  rang- 
ing the  woods,  on  a  successful  hunt,  breathing  the  pure  air 
of  the  hills,  and  filled  with  vigor  and  health,  but  I  now  feel 
that  it  has  all  been  idleness  and  vanity  compared  with  the 
delight  it  would  give  me  to  know  that  you  thought  better  of 
me  than  you  think  of  most  others. ' ' 

"  Better  of  you  !     I  do  indeed  think  better  of  you,  Path- 


286  TTbe  patbfin&er 

finder,  than  of  most  others  ;  I  am  not  certain  that  I  do  not 
think  better  of  you  than  of  any  other ;  for  your  truth,  hon- 
esty, simplicity,  justice,  and  courage  are  scarcely  equalled  by 
any  of  earth." 

"Ah!  Mabel!  These  are  sweet  and  encouraging  words 
from  you,  and  the  sergeant,  a'ter  all,  was  not  as  near  wrong 
as  I  feared." 

"Nay,  Pathfinder,  in  the  name  of  all  that  is  sacred  and 
just,  do  not  let  us  misunderstand  each  other,  in  a  matter  of 
so  much  importance.  While  I  esteem,  respect — nay,  rever- 
ence you,  almost  as  much  as  I  reverence  my  own  dear  father, 
it  is  impossible  that  I  should  ever  become  your  wife — that 
I—" 

The  change  in  her  companion's  countenance  was  so  sud- 
den and  so  great,  that  the  moment  the  effect  of  what  she  had 
uttered  became  visible  in  the  face  of  the  Pathfinder,  Mabel 
arrested  her  own  words,  notwithstanding  her  strong  desire 
to  be  explicit,  the  reluctance  with  which  she  could  at  any 
time  cause  pain  being  sufficient  of  itself  to  induce  the 
pause.  Neither  spoke  for  some  time,  the  shade  of  disap- 
pointment that  crossed  the  rugged  lineaments  of  the  hunter 
amounting  so  nearly  to  anguish,  as  to  frighten  his  companion, 
while  the  sensation  of  choking  became  so  strong  in  the  Path- 
finder, that  he  fairly  griped  his  throat,  like  one  who  sought 
physical  relief  for  physical  suffering.  The  convulsive  man- 
ner in  which  his  fingers  worked  actually  struck  the  alarmed 
girl  with  a  feeling  of  awe. 

"  Nay,  Pathfinder,"  Mabel  eagerly  added,  the  instant  she 
could  command  her  voice,  "  I  may  have  said  more  than  I 
mean,  for  all  things  of  this  nature  are  possible,  and  women, 
they  say,  are  never  sure  of  their  own  minds.  What  I  wish 
you  to  understand  is,  that  it  is  not  likely  that  you  and  I 
should  ever  think  of  each  other,  as  man  and  wife  ought  to 
think  of  each  other. ' ' 

"  I  do  not— I  shall  never  think  in  that  way  again,  Mabel," 
gasped  forth  the  Pathfinder,  who  appeared  to  utter  his  words 
like  one  just  raised  above  the  pressure  of  some  suffocating 
substance.  "  No,  no  ;  I  shall  never  think  of  you,  or  any  one 
else,  again,  in  that  way." 


Ube  fcatbfinfcet  287 


"  Pathfinder — dear  Pathfinder,  understand  me  ;  do  not 
attach  more  meaning  to  my  words  than  I  do  myself ;  a  match 
like  that  would  be  unwise — unnatural,  perhaps." 

"Yes,  unnat'ral — agin  natur'  ;  and  so  I  told  the  sergeant, 
but  he  would  have  it  otherwise. ' ' 

' '  Pathfinder  !  O  !  this  is  worse  than  I  could  have  imag- 
ined; take  my  hand,  excellent  Pathfinder,  and  let  me  see 
that  you  do  not  hate  me.  For  God's  sake,  smile  upon  me 
again  !  " 

"  Hate  you,  Mabel  !     Smile  upon  you  !     Ah  's  me  !  " 

"  Nay,  give  me  your  hand — your  hardy,  true,  and  manly 
hand  ;  both,  both,  Pathfinder,  for  I  shall  not  be  easy  until  I 
feel  certain  that  we  are  friends  again,  and  that  all  this  has 
been  a  mistake." 

"  Mabel,"  said  the  guide,  looking  wistfully  into  the  face 
of  the  generous  and  impetuous  girl,  as  she  held  his  two  hard 
and  sunburnt  hands  in  her  own  pretty  and  delicate  fingers, 
and  laughing  in  his  own  silent  and  peculiar  manner,  while 
anguish  gleamed  over  lineaments  which  seemed  incapable 
of  deception,  even  wrhile  agitated  with  emotions  so  conflict- 
ing, "  Mabel,  the  sergeant  was  wrong  !  " 

The  pent-up  feelings  could  endure  no  more,  and  the  tears 
rolled  down  the  cheeks  of  the  scout  like  rain.  His  fingers 
again  worked  convulsively  at  his  throat,  and  his  breast 
heaved,  as  if  it  possessed  a  tenant  of  which  it  would  be 
rid,  by  any  effort,  however  desperate. 

"Pathfinder  !  Pathfinder  !  "  Mabel  almost  shrieked,  "  any- 
thing but  this — anything  but  this.  Speak  to  me,  Path- 
finder ;  smile  again — say  one  kind  word — anything  to  prove 
you  can  forgive  me." 

"  The  sergeant  was  wrong  !  "  exclaimed  the  guide,  laugh- 
ing amid  his  agony,  in  a  way  to  terrify  his  companion  by 
the  unnatural  mixture  of  anguish  and  light-heartedness. 
"  I  knew  it — I  knew  it,  and  said  it ;  yes,  the  sergeant  was 
wrong,  a'ter  all." 

"  We  can  be  friends,  though  we  cannot  be  man  and  wife," 
continued  Mabel,  almost  as  much  disturbed  as  her  compan- 
ion, scarce  knowing  what  she  said;  "we  can  always  be 
friends,  and  always  will." 


288  tTbe  patbfinbet 

"I  thought  the  sergeant  was  mistaken,"  resumed  the 
Pathfinder,  when  a  great  effort  had  enabled  him  to  command 
himself,  "  for  I  did  not  think  my  gifts  were  such  as  would 
please  the  fancy  of  a  town-bred  gal.  It  would  have  been 
better,  Mabel,  had  he  not  over-persuaded  me  into  a  different 
notion ;  and  it  might  have  been  better,  too,  had  you  not 
been  so  pleasant  and  friendly,  like  ;  yes,  it  would." 

"  If  I  thought  any  error  of  mine  had  raised  false  expec- 
tations in  you,  Pathfinder,  however  unintentionally  on  my 
part,  I  should  never  forgive  myself;  for,  believe  me,  I 
would  rather  endure  pain  in  my  own  feelings  than  you 
should  suffer." 

"  That 's  just  it,  Mabel ;  that 's  just  it.  These  speeches 
and  opinions,  spoken  in  so  soft  a  voice,  and  in  a  way  I  'm 
so  unused  to  in  the  woods,  have  done  the  mischief.  But  I 
now  see  plainly,  and  begin  to  understand  the  difference  be- 
tween us  better,  and  will  strive  to  keep  down  thought,  and 
to  go  abroad  ag'in  as  I  used  to  do,  looking  for  the  game 
and  the  inimy.  Ah 's  me  !  Mabel,  I  have  indeed  been  on  a 
false  trail  since  we  met ! ' ' 

"But  you  will  now  travel  on  the  true  one.  In  a  little 
while  you  will  forget  all  this,  and  think  of  me  as  a  friend 
who  owes  you  her  life." 

"  This  may  be  the  way  in  the  towns,  but  I  doubt  if  it's 
nat'ral  to  the  woods.  With  us,  when  the  eye  sees  a  lovely 
sight,  it  is  apt  to  keep  it  long  in  view,  or  when  the  mind 
takes  in  an  upright  and  proper  feeling,  it  is  loath  to  part 
with  it." 

"  But  it  is  not  a  proper  feeling  that  you  should  love  me, 
nor  am  I  a  lovely  sight.  You  will  forget  it  all,  when  you 
come  seriously  to  recollect  that  I  am  altogether  unsuited  to 
be  your  wife." 

"So  I  told  the  sergeant;  but  he  would  have  it  other- 
wise. I  knew  you  was  too  young  and  beautiful  for  one  of 
middle  age,  like  myself,  and  who  never  was  comely  to  look 
at,  even  in  youth  ;  and  then  your  ways  have  not  been  my 
ways,  nor  would  a  hunter's  cabin  be  a  fitting  place  for  one 
who  was  edicated  among  chiefs,  as  it  were.  If  I  were 
younger  and  comelier,  though,  like  Jasper  Kau-douce — " 


tlbe  patbfinber  289 


"  Never  mind  Jasper  Bau-douce, ' '  interrupted  Mabel,  im- 
patiently ;  ' '  we  can  talk  of  something  else. ' ' 

' '  Jasper  is  a  worthy  lad,  Mabel ;  ay,  and  a  comely, ' '  re- 
turned the  guileless  guide,  looking  earnestly  at  the  girl,  as 
if  he  distrusted  her  judgment  in  speaking  slightingly  of  his 
friend.  ' '  Were  I  only  half  as  comely  as  Jasper  Western, 
my  misgivings  in  this  affair  would  not  have  been  so  great, 
and  they  might  not  have  been  so  true. ' ' 

"We  will  not  talk  of  Jasper  Western, "  repeated  Mabel, 
the  color  mounting  to  her  temples  ;  "he  may  be  good 
enough  in  a  gale  or  on  the  lake,  but  he  is  not  good  enough 
to  talk  of  here." 

' '  I  fear  me,  Mabel,  he  is  better  than  the  man  who  is 
likely  to  be  your  husband,  though  the  sergeant  says  that 
never  can  take  place.  But  the  sergeant  was  wrong  once, 
and  he  may  be  wrong  twice." 

' '  And  who  is  likely  to  be  my  husband,  Pathfinder  ?  This 
is  scarcely  less  strange  than  what  has  just  passed  between 
us!" 

"  I  know  it  is  nat'ral  for  like  to  seek  like,  and  for  them 
that  have  consorted  much  with  officers'  ladies,  to  wish  to  be 
officers'  ladies  themselves.  But,  Mabel,  I  may  speak  plainly 
to  you,  I  know,  and  I  hope  my  words  will  not  give  you 
pain,  for,  now  I  understand  what  it  is  to  be  disappointed  in 
such  feelings,  I  would  n't  wish  to  cause  even  a  Mingo  sor- 
row, on  this  head.  But  happiness  is  not  always  to  be  found 
in  a  marquee,  any  more  than  in  a  tent ;  and  though  the 
officers'  quarters  may  look  more  tempting  than  the  rest  of 
the  barracks,  there  is  often  great  misery  between  husband 
and  wife,  inside  of  their  doors." 

"  I  do  not  doubt  it  in  the  least,  Pathfinder;  and  did  it 
rest  with  me  to  decide,  I  would  sooner  follow  you  to  some 
cabin  in  the  woods,  and  share  your  fortune,  whether  it  might 
be  better  or  worse,  than  go  inside  the  door  of  any  officer 
I  know,  with  an  intention  of  remaining  there  as  its  master's 
wife." 

"Mabel,  this  is  not  what  lyundie  hopes,  or  Lundie 
thinks!" 

"And  what  care  I  for  I^undie  ?     He  is  major  of  the  55th, 


29o  Ube  patbfin&er 


and  may  command  his  men  to  wheel  and  march  about  as  he 
pleases,  but  he  cannot  compel  me  to  wed  the  greatest  or 
the  meanest  of  his  mess :  besides,  what  can  you  know  of 
Lundie's  wishes  on  such  a  subject?  " 

"  From  Lundie's  own  mouth.  The  sergeant  had  told  him 
that  he  wished  me  for  a  son-in-law  ;  and  the  major  being  an 
old  and  a  true  friend,  conversed  with  me  on  the  subject ;  he 
put  it  to  me  plainly,  whether  it  would  not  be  more  gin'rous 
in  me  to  let  an  officer  succeed,  than  to  strive  to  make  you 
share  a  hunter's  fortune.  I  owned  the  truth,  I  did ;  and 
that  was,  that  I  thought  it  might ;  but  when  he  told  me  that 
the  quartermaster  would  be  his  choice,  I  would  not  abide  by 
the  conditions.  No,  no,  Mabel ;  I  know  Davy  Muir  well, 
and  though  he  may  make  you  a  lady,  he  can  never  make 
you  a  happy  woman,  or  himself  a  gentleman.  I  say  this 
honestly,  I  do ;  for  I  now  plainly  see  that  the  sergeant  has 
been  wrong." 

"  My  father  has  been  very  wrong  if  he  has  said  or  done 
aught  to  cause  you  sorrow,  Pathfinder  ;  and  so  great  is  my 
respect  for  you,  so  sincere  my  friendship,  that  were  it  not  for 
one — I  mean  that  no  person  need  fear  Lieutenant  Muir's 
influence  with  me.  I  would  rather  remain  as  I  am  to  my 
dying  day,  than  become  a  lady  at  the  cost  of  being  his  wife." 

"  I  do  not  think  you  would  say  that  which  you  do  not  feel, 
Mabel,"  returned  Pathfinder,  earnestly. 

"  Not  at  such  a  moment,  on  such  a  subject,  and  least  of 
all  to  you.  No  ;  Lieutenant  Muir  may  find  wives  where  he 
he  can— my  name  shall  never  be  on  his  catalogue." 

"Thank  you— thank  you  for  that,  Mabel ;  for  though  there 
is  no  longer  any  hope  for  me,  I  could  never  be  happy  were 
you  to  take  to  the  quartermaster.  I  feared  the  commission 
might  count  for  something,  I  did,  and  I  know  the  man.  It 
is  not  jealousy  that  makes  me  speak  in  this  manner,  but 
truth,  for  I  know  the  man.  Now,  were  you  to  fancy  a 
desarving  youth,  one  like  Jasper  Western,  for  instance— " 

"Why  always  mention  Jasper  Eau-douce,  Pathfinder? 
he  can  have  no  concern  with  our  friendship  ;  let  us  talk  of 
yourself,  and  of  the  manner  in  which  you  intend  to  pass  the 
winter." 


TTbe  ipatbfinfcer  29i 


"  Ah  's  me  !  I'm  little  worth  at  the  best,  Mabel,  unless  it 
may  be  on  a  trail,  or  with  the  rifle  ;  and  the  less  worth  now 
that  I  've  discovered  the  sergeant's  mistake.  There  is  no 
need,  therefore,  of  talking  of  me.  It  has  been  very  pleasant 
to  me  to  be  near  you  so  long,  and  even  to  fancy  that  the  ser- 
geant was  right ;  but  that  is  all  over  now.  I  shall  go  down 
the  lake  with  Jasper,  and  then  there  will  be  business  to 
occupy  us,  and  that  will  keep  useless  thoughts  out  of  the 
mind." 

' '  And  you  will  forget  this — forget  me — no,  not  forget  me 
either,  Pathfinder ;  but  you  will  resume  your  old  pursuits, 
and  cease  to  think  a  girl  of  sufficient  importance  to  disturb 
your  peace  ? ' ' 

"I  never  know'd  it  afore,  Mabel,  but  girls,  as  you  call 
them,  though  gals  is  the  name  I  've  been  taught  to  use,  are 
of  more  account  in  this  life  than  I  could  have  believed.  Now, 
afore  I  know'd  you,  the  new-born  babe  did  not  sleep  more 
sweetly  than  I  used  to  could  ;  my  head  was  no  sooner  on  the 
root,  or  the  stone,  or  mayhap  on  the  skin,  than  all  was  lost 
to  the  senses,  unless  it  might  be  to  go  over,  in  the  night, 
the  business  of  the  day,  in  a  dream,  like  ;  and  there  I 
lay  till  the  moment  came  to  be  stirring,  and  the  swallows 
were  not  more  certain  to  be  on  the  wing  with  the  light,  than 
I  to  be  afoot  at  the  moment  I  wished  to  be.  All  this  seemed 
a  gift,  and  might  be  calculated  on,  even  in  the  midst  of  a 
Mingo  camp  ;  for  I  'vebeen  outlying,  in  my  time,  in  the  very 
villages  of  the  vagabonds. ' ' 

"And  all  this  will  return  to  you,  Pathfinder;  for  one  so 
upright  and  sincere  will  never  waste  his  happiness  on  a  mere 
fancy.  You  will  dream  again  of  your  hunts,  of  the  deer  you 
have  slain,  and  of  the  beaver  you  have  taken." 

"Ah  's  me,  Mabel,  I  wish  never  to  dream  again  !  Before  we 
met  I  had  a  sort  of  pleasure  in  following  up  the  hounds,  in 
fancy,  as  it  might  be  ;  and  even  in  striking  a  trail  of  the  Iro- 
quois,  nay,  I  've  been  in  skriminages  and  ambushments  in 
thought,  like,  and  found  satisfaction  in  it  according  to  my 
gifts  ;  but  all  those  things  have  lost  their  charms  since  I  've 
made  acquaintance  with  you.  Now,  I  think  no  longer  of 
anything  rude  in  my  dreams,  but  the  very  last  night  we 


292 


stayed  in  the  garrison,  I  imagined  I  had  a  cabin  in  a  grove 
of  sugar  maples,  and  at  the  root  of  every  tree  was  a  Mabel 
Dunham,  while  the  birds  that  were  among  the  branches 
sang  ballads,  instead  of  the  notes  that  natur'  gave,  and  even 
the  deer  stopped  to  listen.  I  tried  to  shoot  a  fa' an,  but  Kill- 
deer  missed  fire,  and  the  creatur'  laughed  in  my  face,  as 
pleasantly  as  a  young  girl  laughs  in  her  merriment,  and 
then  it  bounded  away,  looking  back  as  if  expecting  me  to 
follow. ' ' 

"  No  more  of  this,  Pathfinder — we  '11  talk  no  more  of  these 
things,"  said  Mabel,  dashing  the  tears  from  her  eyes;  for 
the  simple,  earnest  manner  in  which  this  hardy  woodsman 
betrayed  the  deep  hold  she  had  taken  of  his  feelings,  nearly 
proved  too  much  for  her  own  generous  heart.  "  Now  let  us 
look  for  my  father  ;  he  cannot  be  distant,  as  I  heard  his  gun 
quite  near." 

"  The  sergeant  was  wrong — yes,  he  was  wrong,  and  it's 
of  no  use  to  attempt  to  make  the  dove  consort  with  the  wolf." 

"  Here  comes  my  dear  father,"  interrupted  Mabel ;  "let 
us  look  cheerful  and  happy,  Pathfinder,  as  such  good  friends 
ought  to  look,  and  keep  each  other's  secrets." 

A  pause  succeeded ;  the  sergeant's  foot  was  heard  crush- 
ing the  dried  twigs  hard  by,  and  then  his  form  appeared 
shoving  aside  the  bushes  of  a  copse  quite  near.  As  he  issued 
into  the  open  ground  the  old  soldier  scrutinized  his  daughter 
and  her  companion,  and  speaking  good-naturedly,  he 
said  : — 

"Mabel,  child,  you  are  young  and  light  of  foot— look  for 
a  bird  I've  shot  that  fell  just  beyond  the  thicket  of  young 
hemlocks  on  the  shore  ;  and  as  Jasper  is  showing  signs  of  an 
intention  of  getting  under  way  you  need  not  take  the  trouble 
to  clamber  up  this  hill  again,  but  we  will  meet  you  on  the 
beach  in  a  few  minutes." 

Mabel  obeyed,  bounding  down  the  hill  with  the  elastic 
step  of  youth  and  health .  But,  notwithstanding  the  lightness 
of  her  steps,  the  heart  of  the  girl  was  heavy,  and  no  sooner 
was  she  hid  from  observation  by  the  thicket,  than  she  threw 
herself  on  the  root  of  a  tree  and  wept  as  if  her  heart  would 
break.  The  sergeant  watched  her  until  she  disappeared, 


Ube  jpatbfinfcer  29i 

with  a.  father's  pride,  and  then  turned  to  his  companion  with 
a  smile  as  kind  and  as  familiar  as  his  habits  would  allow  him 
to  use  towards  any. 

"She  has  her  mother's  lightness  and  activity,  my  friend, 
with  somewhat  of  her  father's  force,"  he  said.  "  Hei 
mother  was  not  quite  as  handsome,  I  think  myself ;  but  the 
Dunhams  were  always  thought  comely,  whether  men  or 
women.  Well,  Pathfinder,  I  take  it  for  granted  you  've  not 
overlooked  the  opportunity,  but  have  spoken  plainly  to  the 
girl  ?  Women  like  frankness  in  matters  of  this  sort." 

"  I  believe  Mabel  and  I  understand  each  other,  at  last, 
sergeant,"  returned  the  other,  looking  another  way  to  avoid 
the  soldier's  face. 

"So  much  the  better.  Some  people  fancy  that  a  little 
doubt  and  uncertainty  make  love  all  the  livelier,  but  I  am 
one  of  those  who  think  the  plainer  the  tongue  speaks,  the 
easier  the  mind  will  comprehend.  Was  Mabel  surprised?" 

' '  I  fear  she  was,  sergeant ;  I  fear  she  was  taken  quite  by 
surprise — yes,  I  do." 

"  Well,  well,  surprises  in  love  are  like  an  ambush  in  war, 
and  quite  as  lawful ;  though  it  is  not  as  easy  to  tell  when  a 
woman  is  surprised,  as  to  tell  when  it  happens  to  an  enemy. 
Mabel  did  not  run  away,  my  worthy  friend,  did  she  ? ' ' 

' '  No,  sergeant,  Mabel  did  not  try  to  escape ;  that  I  can 
say  with  a  clear  conscience." 

' '  I  hope  the  girl  was  not  too  willing,  neither !  Her 
mother  was  shy  and  coy  for  a  month,  at  least — but  frank- 
ness, after  all,  is  a  recommendation  in  man  or  woman." 

"  That  it  is — that  it  is — and  judgment,  too." 

"  You  are  not  to  look  for  too  much  judgment  in  a  young 
creature  of  twenty,  Pathfinder,  but  it  will  come  with  expe- 
rience. A  mistake  in  you,  or  in  me,  for  instance,  might 
not  be  so  easily  overlooked,  but  in  a  girl  of  Mabel's  years 
one  is  not  to  strain  at  a  gnat  lest  they  swallow  a  camel." 

The  muscles  of  the  listener's  face  twitched  as  the  sergeant 
was  thus  delivering  his  sentiments,  though  the  former  had 
now  recovered  a  portion  of  that  stoicism  which  formed  so 
large  a  part  of  his  character,  and  which  he  had  probably 
imbibed  from  long  association  with  the  Indians.  His  eyes 


294  ftbe  fcatbfitrter 


rose  and  fell,  and  once  a  gleam  shot  athwart  his  hard  fea- 
tures, as  if  he  were  about  to  indulge  in  his  peculiar  laugh, 
but  the  joyous  feeling,  if  it  really  existed,  was  as  quickly 
lost  in  a  look  allied  to  anguish.  It  was  this  unusual  mixture 
of  wild  and  keen  mental  agony,  with  native,  simple  joyous- 
ness,  that  had  most  struck  Mabel,  who,  in  the  interview  just 
related,  had  a  dozen  times  been  on  the  point  of  believing 
that  her  suitor's  heart  was  only  lightly  touched,  as  images 
of  happiness  and  humor  gleamed  over  a  mind  that  was 
almost  infantine  in  its  simplicity  and  nature  ;  an  impression, 
however,  that  was  soon  driven  away  by  the  discovery  of 
emotions  so  painful  and  so  deep  that  they  seemed  to  harrow 
the  very  soul.  Indeed,  in  this  respect,  the  Pathfinder  was 
a  mere  child  :  unpractised  in  the  ways  of  the  world,  he  had 
no  idea  of  concealing  a  thought  of  any  kind,  and  his  mind 
received  and  reflected  each  emotion  with  the  pliability  and 
readiness  of  that  period  of  life  ;  the  infant  scarcely  yield- 
ing its  wayward  imagination  to  the  passing  impression  with 
greater  facility  than  this  man,  so  simple  in  all  his  personal 
feelings,  so  stern,  stoical,  masculine,  and  severe,  in  all  that 
touched  his  ordinary  pursuits. 

"  You  say  true,  sergeant,"  Pathfinder  answered  ;  "a  mis- 
take in  one  like  you  is  a  more  serious  matter. ' ' 

"You  will  find  Mabel  sincere  and  honest  in  the  end,  give 
her  but  a  little  time." 

"  Ah  's  me,  sergeant ! " 

"A  man  of  your  merits  would  make  an  impression  on  a 
rock,  give  him  time,  Pathfinder." 

"Sergeant  Dunham,  we  are  old  fellow-campaigners,  that 
is,  as  campaigns  are  carried  on  here  in  the  wilderness  ;  and 
we  have  done  so  many  kind  acts  to  each  other  that  we  can 
afford  to  be  candid ;  what  has  caused  you  to  believe  that 
a  girl  like  Mabel  could  ever  fancy  one  as  rude  as  I  am?  " 

"  What  ?  why,  a  variety  of  reasons,  and  good  reasons, 
too,  my  friend.  Those  same  acts  of  kindness,  perhaps,  and 
the  campaigns  you  mention ;  moreover,  you  are  my  sworn 
and  tried  comrade." 

"All  this  sounds  well,  so  far  as  you  and  I  be  consarned, 
but  they  do  not  touch  the  case  of  your  pretty  da'hter. 


Ube  patbfinber  295 


She  may  think  these  very  campaigns  have  destroyed  the 
little  comeliness  I  may  once  have  had,  and  I  am  not  quite 
sartain  that  being  an  old  friend  of  her  father  would  lead 
any  young  maiden's  mind  into  a  particular  affection  for  a 
suitor.  Like  loves  like,  I  tell  you,  sergeant,  and  my  gifts 
are  not  altogether  the  gifts  of  Mabel  Dunham." 

' '  These  are  some  of  your  old  modest  qualms,  Pathfinder, 
and  will  do  you  no  credit  with  the  girl.  Women  distrust 
men  who  distrust  themselves,  and  take  to  men  who  distrust 
nothing.  Modesty  is  a  capital  thing  in  a  recruit,  I  grant 
you,  or  in  a  young  subaltern  who  has  just  joined,  for  it 
prevents  his  railing  at  the  non-commissioned  officers  before 
he  knows  what  to  rail  at ;  I'm  not  sure  it  is  out  of  place  in 
a  commissary  or  a  parson,  but  it's  the  devil  and  all  when  it 
gets  possession  of  either  a  real  soldier  or  a  lover.  Have  as 
little  to  do  with  it  as  possible,  if  you  would  win  a  woman's 
heart.  As  for  your  doctrine  that  like  loves  like,  it  is  as 
wrong  as  possible  in  matters  of  this  sort.  If  like  loved 
like,  women  would  love  one  another,  and  men  also.  No, 
no,  like  loves  dislike," — the  sergeant  was  merely  a  scholar 
of  the  camp, — "and  you  have  nothing  to  fear  from  Mabel 
on  that  score.  Look  at  Lieutenant  Muir ;  the  man  has 
had  five  wives  already,  they  tell  me,  and  there  is  no  more 
modesty  in  him  than  there  is  in  a  cat-o' -nine- tails." 

"Lieutenant  Muir  will  never  be  the  husband  of  Mabel 
Dunham,  let  him  ruffle  his  feathers  as  much  as  he  may." 

' '  That  is  a  sensible  remark  of  yours,  Pathfinder,  for  my 
mind  is  made  up  that  you  shall  be  my  son-in-law.  If  I 
were  an  officer  myself,  Mr.  Muir  might  have  some  chance  ; 
but  time  has  placed  one  door  between  my  child  and  my- 
self, and  I  don't  intend  there  shall  be  that  of  a  marquee 
also." 

"Sergeant,  we  must  let  Mabel  follow  her  own  fancy; 
she  is  young  and  light  of  heart,  and  God  forbid  that  any 
wish  of  mine  should  lay  the  weight  of  a  feather  on  a  mind 
that  is  all  gayety  now,  or  take  one  note  of  happiness  from 
her  laughter." 

"  Have  you  conversed  freely  with  the  girl?  "  the  sergeant 
demanded  quickly,  and  with  some  asperity  of  manner. 


296  Ube 


Pathfinder  was  too  honest  to  deny  a  truth  plain  as  that 
which  the  answer  required,  and  yet  too  honorable  to  betray 
Mabel,  and  expose  her  to  the  resentment  of  one  whom  he 
well  knew  to  be  stern  in  his  anger. 

"  We  have  laid  open  our  minds,"  he  said,  and  though 
Mabel's  is  one  that  any  man  might  love  to  look  at,  I 
find  little  there,  sergeant,  to  make  me  think  any  better  of 
myself." 

"The  girl  has  not  dared  to  refuse  you — to  refuse  her 
father's  best  friend  ?  " 

Pathfinder  turned  his  face  away  to  conceal  the  look  of 
anguish  that  consciousness  told  him  was  passing  athwart  it, 
but  he  continued  the  discourse  in  his  own  quiet,  manly  tones. 

"Mabel  is  too  kind  to  refuse  anything,  or  to  utter  harsh 
words  to  a  dog.  I  have  not  put  the  question  in  a  way  to  be 
downright  refused,  sergeant. ' ' 

"And  did  you  expect  my  daughter  to  jump  into  your 
arms  before  you  asked  her  ?  She  would  not  have  been  her 
mother's  child  had  she  done  any  such  thing,  nor  do  I  think 
she  would  have  been  mine.  The  Dunhams  like  plain  deal- 
ing as  well  as  the  king's  majesty,  but  they  are  no  jumpers. 
Leave  me  to  manage  this  matter  for  you,  Pathfinder,  and 
there  shall  be  no  unnecessary  delay.  I  '11  speak  to  Mabel 
myself  this  very  evening,  using  your  name  as  principal  in 
the  affair." 

"I'd  rather  not— I'd  rather  not,  sergeant.  Leave  the 
matter  to  Mabel  and  me,  and  I  think  all  will  come  right  in 
the  ind.  Young  gals  be  like  timorsome  birds,  they  do  not 
over-relish  being  hurried  or  spoken  harshly  to,  neither. 
Leave  the  matter  to  Mabel  and  me." 

"  On  one  condition  I  will,  my  friend  ;  and  that  is,  that  you 
promise  me  on  the  honor  of  a  scout,  that  you  will  put  the 
matter  plainly  to  Mabel,  the  first  suitable  opportunity,  and 
no  mincing  of  words." 

"I  will  ask  her,  sergeant— yes,  I  will  ask  her,  on  condi- 
tion that  you  promise  not  to  meddle  in  the  affair ;  yes,  I 
will  promise  to  ask  Mabel  the  question  whether  she  will 
marry  me,  even  though  she  laugh  in  my  face  at  my  doing 
so,  on  that  condition." 


TTbe  jpatbffnfcer  297 


Sergeant  Dunham  gave  the  desired  promise  very  cheer- 
fully, for  he  had  completely  wrought  himself  up  into  the 
belief  that  the  man  he  so  much  esteemed  and  respected 
himself,  must  be  acceptable  to  his  daughter.  He  had 
married  a  woman  much  younger  than  himself,  and  he  saw 
no  unfitness  in  the  respective  years  of  the  intended  couple. 
Mabel  was  educated  so  much  above  him,  too,  that  he  was 
not  aware  of  the  difference  which  actually  existed  between") 
the  parent  and  child,  in  this  respect ;  for  it  is  one  of  the  / 
most  unpleasant  features  in  the  intercourse  between  knowl- 
edge and  ignorance,  taste  and  unsophistication,  refinementj 
and  vulgarity,  that  the  higher  qualities  are  often  necessarily 
subjected  to  the  judgments  of  those  who  have  absolutely  no 
perception  of  their  existence.  It  followed  that  Sergeant 
Dunham  was  not  altogether  qualified  to  appreciate  his 
daughter's  tastes,  or  to  form  a  very  probable  conjecture 
of  the  direction  taken  by  those  feelings,  which  oftener 
depend  on  impulses  and  passion  than  on  reason.  Still,  the 
worthy  soldier  was  not  so  wrong  in  his  estimate  of  the 
Pathfinder's  chances,  as  might  at  first  appear.  Knowing, 
as  he  well  did,  all  the  sterling  qualities  of  the  man,  his 
truth,  integrity  of  purpose,  courage,  self-devotion,  disinter- 
estedness, it  was  far  from  unreasonable  to  suppose  that 
qualities  like  these  would  produce  a  deep  impression  on  any 
female  heart,  where  there  was  an  opportunity  to  acquire  a 
knowledge  of  their  existence ;  and  the  father  erred  princi- 
pally in  fancying  that  the  daughter  might  know,  as  it  might 
be,  by  intuition,  what  he  himself  had  acquired  by  years  of 
intercourse  and  adventure. 

As  Pathfinder  and  his  military  friend  descended  the  hill 
to  the  shore  of  the  lake,  the  discourse  did  not  flag.  The 
latter  continued  to  persuade  the  former  that  his  diffidence 
alone  prevented  complete  success  with  Mabel,  and  that  he 
had  only  to  persevere  in  order  to  prevail.  Pathfinder  was 
much  too  modest  by  nature,  and  had  been  too  plainly, 
though  so  delicately,  discouraged,  in  the  recent  interview, 
to  believe  all  he  heard  ;  still  the  father  used  so  many  argu- 
ments that  seemed  plausible,  and  it  was  so  grateful  to  fancy 
that  the  daughter  might  yet  be  his,  the  reader  is  not  to  be 


298 


surprised  when  he  is  told  that  this  unsophisticated  being  did 
not  view  Mabel's  recent  conduct  in  precisely  the  light  in 
which  he  may  be  inclined  to  view  it  himself.  He  did  not 
credit  all  that  the  sergeant  told  him,  it  is  true ;  but  he  began 
to  think  virgin  coyness,  and  ignorance  of  her  own  feelings, 
might  have  induced  Mabel  to  use  the  language  she  had. 

"The  quartermaster  is  no  favorite,"  said  Pathfinder,  in 
answer  to  one  of  his  companion's  remarks.  "Mabel  will 
never  look  on  him  as  more  than  one  who  has  had  four  or 
five  wives  already." 

"Which  is  more  than  his  share.  A  man  may  marry 
twice,  without  offence  to  good  morals  and  decency,  I  allow, 
but  four  times  is  an  aggravation." 

"I  should  think  even  marrying  once,  what  Master  Cap 
calls  a  circumstance!"  put  in  Pathfinder,  laughing  in  his 
quiet  way,  for  by  this  time  his  spirits  had  recovered  some 
of  their  buoyancy. 

"  It  is  indeed,  my  friend,  and  a  most  solemn  circumstance, 
too.  If  it  were  not  that  Mabel  is  to  be  your  wife,  I  would 
advise  you  to  remain  single.  But  here  is  the  girl  herself, 
and  discretion  is  the  word." 

"  Ah 's  me  !  sergeant,  I  fear  you  are  mistaken  ! " 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

"  Thus  was  this  place 
A  happy  rural  seat  of  various  view.  " 

MILTON. 

MABEL  was  in  waiting  on  the  beach,  and  the  canoe 
was  soon  launched.  Pathfinder  carried  the 
party  out  through  the  surf  in  the  same  skilful 
manner  he  had  brought  it  in ;  and,  though 
Mabel's  color  heightened  with  excitement,  and  her  heart 
seemed  often  ready  to  leap  out  of  her  mouth  again,  they 
reached  the  side  of  the  Scud  without  having  received  even  a 
drop  of  spray. 

Ontario  is  like  a  quick-tempered  man,  sudden  to  be 
angered,  and  as  soon  appeased.  The  sea  had  already  fallen, 
and  though  the  breakers  bounded  the  shore  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  it  was  merely  in  lines  of  brightness,  that  ap- 
peared and  vanished  like  the  returning  waves  produced  by 
a  stone  that  had  been  dropped  into  a  pool.  The  cable  of 
the  Scud  was  scarce  seen  above  the  water,  and  Jasper  had 
already  hoisted  his  sails,  in  readiness  to  depart,  as  soon  as 
the  expected  breeze  from  the  shore  should  fill  the  canvas. 

It  was  just  sunset  as  the  cutter's  mainsail  napped,  and 
its  stem  began  to  sever  the  water.  The  air  was  light  and 
southerly,  and  the  head  of  the  vessel  was  kept  looking  up 
along  the  south  shore,  it  being  the  intention  to  get  to  the 
eastward  again,  as  fast  as  possible.  The  night  that  suc- 
ceeded was  quiet,  and  the  rest  of  those  who  slept,  deep  and 
tranquil. 

Some  difficulty  occurred  concerning  the  command  of  the 
vessel,  but  the  matter  had  been  finally  settled  by  an  amica- 
299 


3oo  ftbe  jpatbfinfcer 


ble  compromise.  As  the  distrust  of  Jasper  was  far  from 
being  appeased,  Cap  retained  a  supervisory  power,  while 
the  young  man  was  allowed  to  work  the  craft,  subject  at  all 
times  to  the  control  and  interference  of  the  old  seaman.  To 
this  Jasper  consented,  in  preference  to  exposing  Mabel 
any  longer  to  the  dangers  of  their  present  situation ;  for, 
now  that  the  violence  of  the  elements  had  ceased,  he  well 
knew  that  the  Montcalm  would  be  in  search  of  them.  He 
had  the  discretion,  however,  not  to  reveal  his  apprehensions 
on  this  head,  for  it  happened  that  the  very  means  he 
deemed  the  best  to  escape  the  enemy,  were  those  which 
would  be  most  likely  to  awaken  new  suspicions  of  his  hon- 
esty, in  the  minds  of  those  who  held  the  power  to  defeat  his 
intentions.  In  other  words,  Jasper  believed  that  the  gallant 
young  Frenchman  who  commanded  the  ship  of  the  enemy, 
would  quit  his  anchorage  under  the  fort  at  Niagara,  and 
stand  up  the  lake,  as  soon  as  the  wind  abated,  in  order  to 
ascertain  the  fate  of  the  Scud  ;  keeping  midway  between  the 
two  shores,  as  the  best  means  of  commanding  a  broad  view  ; 
and  that,  on  his  part,  it  would  be  expedient  to  hug  one 
coast  or  the  other,  not  only  to  avoid  a  meeting,  but  as  af- 
fording a  chance  of  passing  without  detection,  by  blending 
his  sails  and  spars  with  objects  on  the  land.  He  preferred 
the  south,  because  it  was  the  weather  shore,  and  because  he 
thought  it  was  that  which  the  enemy  would  the  least  expect 
him  to  take,  though  it  necessarily  led  near  his  settlements, 
and  in  front  of  one  of  the  strongest  posts  he  held  in  that 
part  of  the  world. 

Of  all  this,  however,  Cap  was  happily  ignorant,  and  the 
sergeant's  mind  was  too  much  occupied  with  the  details  of 
his  military  trust  to  enter  into  these  niceties,  which  so 
properly  belonged  to  another  profession.  No  opposition 
was  made,  therefore,  and,  ere  morning,  Jasper  had  appar- 
ently dropped  quietly  into  all  his  former  authority,  issuing 
his  orders  freely,  and  meeting  with  obedience  without  hesi- 
tation or  cavil. 

The  appearance  of  day  brought  all  on  board  on  deck 
again,  and,  as  is  usual  with  adventurers  on  the  water,  the 
opening  horizon  was  curiously  examined,  as  objects  started 


jpatbfinfcer  301 


out  of  the  obscurity,  and  the  panorama  brightened  under 
the  growing  light.  East,  west,  and  north,  nothing  was 
visible  but  water,  glittering  in  the  rising  sun  ;  but  south- 
ward, stretched  the  endless  belt  of  woods  that  then  held 
Ontario  in  a  setting  of  forest  verdure.  Suddenly  an  open- 
ing appeared  ahead,  and  then  the  massive  walls  of  a  cha'teau- 
looking  house,  with  outworks,  bastions,  block-houses,  and 
palisadoes,  frowned  on  a  headland  that  bordered  the  outlet 
of  a  broad  stream.  Just  as  the  fort  became  visible,  a  little 
cloud  rose  over  it,  and  the  white  ensign  of  France  was  seen 
fluttering  from  a  lofty  flagstaff. 

Cap  gave  an  ejaculation  as  he  witnessed  this  ungrateful 
exhibition,  and  he  cast  a  quick,  suspicious  glance  at  his 
brother-in-law. 

' '  The  dirty  tablecloth  hung  up  to  the  air,  as  my  name  is 

Charles  Cap  !  "  he  muttered,  ' '  and  we  hugging  this  d d 

shore,  as  it  were  our  wife  and  children,  met  on  the  return 
from  an  India  v'y'ge  !  Harkee,  Jasper,  are  you  in  search 
of  a  cargo  of  frogs,  that  you  keep  so  near  in  to  this  New 
France  ? ' ' 

"  I  hug  the  land,  sir,  in  the  hope  of  passing  the  enemy's 
ship  without  being  seen,  for  I  think  she  must  be  somewhere 
down  here  to  leeward. ' ' 

"  Ay,  ay  ;  this  sounds  well,  and  I  hope  it  may  turn  out 
as  you  say.  I  trust  there  is  no  under- tow  here  ?  ' ' 

"We  are  on  a  weather  shore,  now,"  said  Jasper,  smiling  ; 
"and  I  think  you  will  admit,  Master  Cap,  that  a  strong 
under-tow  makes  an  easy  cable  :  we  owe  all  our  lives  to  the 
under-tow  of  this  very  lake." 

"French  flummery!"  growled  Cap,  though  he  did  not 
care  to  be  heard  by  Jasper.  ' '  Give  me  a  fair,  honest,  Eng- 
lish-Yankee-American tow,  above  board,  and  above  water, 
too,  if  I  must  have  a  tow  at  all,  and  none  of  your  sneaking 
drift  that  is  below  the  surface,  where  one  can  neither  see 
nor  feel.  I  dare  say,  if  the  truth  could  be  come  at,  that 
this  late  escape  of  ours  was  all  a  contrived  affair. ' ' 

"We  have  now  a  good  opportunity,  at  least,  to  recon- 
noitre the  enemy's  post  at  Niagara,  brother,  for  such  I  take 
this  fort  to  be,"  put  in  the  sergeant.  "  Let  us  be  all  eyes  in 


302  Ube  patbfinfcer 


passing,  and  remember  that  we  are  almost  in  the  face  of 
the  enemy." 

This  advice  of  the  sergeant's  needed  nothing  to  enforce 
it,  for  the  interest  and  novelty  of  passing  a  spot  occupied 
by  human  beings,  were  of  themselves  sufficient  to  attract 
deep  attention  in  that  scene  of  a  vast  but  deserted  nature. 
The  wind  was  now  fresh  enough  to  urge  the  Scud  through 
the  water  with  considerable  velocity,  and  Jasper  eased  her 
helm  as  she  opened  the  river,  and  luffed  nearly  into  the 
mouth  of  that  noble  strait,  or  river,  as  it  is  termed.  A  dull, 
distant,  heavy  roar  came  down  through  the  opening  in  the 
banks,  swelling  on  the  currents  of  the  air,  like  the  deeper 
notes  of  some  immense  organ,  and  occasionally  seeming  to 
cause  the  earth  itself  to  tremble. 

' '  That  sounds  like  surf  on  some  long,  unbroken  coast  ! ' ' 
exclaimed  Cap,  as  a  swell  deeper  than  common  came  to  his 
ears. 

' '  Ay,  that  is  such  surf  as  we  have  in  this  quarter  of  the 
world,"  Pathfinder  answered.  "There  is  no  under-tow 
there,  Master  Cap,  but  all  the  water  that  strikes  the  rocks 
stays  there,  so  far  as  going  back  ag'in  is  consarned.  That 
is  old  Niagara  that  you  hear,  or  this  noble  stream  tumbling 
down  a  mountain  !  " 

' '  No  one  will  have  the  impudence  to  pretend  that  this 
fine,  broad  river  falls  over  yonder  hills  ?  ' ' 

"It  does,  Master  Cap,  it  does;  and  all  for  the  want  of 
stairs,  or  a  road,  to  come  down  by.  This  is  natur',  as  we 
have  it  up  hereaway,  though  I  dare  say  you  beat  us  down 
on  the  ocean.  Ah  's  me  !  Mabel  ;  a  pleasant  hour  it  would 
be  if  we  could  walk  on  the  shore  some  ten  or  fifteen  miles 
up  this  stream,  and  gaze  on  all  that  God  has  done  there  !  " 

"  You  have,  then,  seen  these  renowned  falls,  Pathfinder? " 
the  girl  eagerly  inquired. 

"I  have— yes,  I  have;  and  an  awful  sight  I  witnessed 
at  that  same  time.  The  Sarpent  and  I  were  out,  scouting 
about  the  garrison  there,  when  he  told  me  that  the  tradi- 
tions of  his  people  gave  an  account  of  a  mighty  cataract  in 
this  neighborhood,  and  he  asked  me  to  vary  from  the  line 
of  march  a  little  to  look  at  the  wonder.  I  had  heard  some 


Ube  fcatbfinfcer  303 


marvels  consarning  the  spot,  from  the  soldiers  of  the  6oth, 
which  is  my  nat'ral  corps,  like,  and  not  the  55th,  with  which 
I  have  sojourned  so  much  of  late  ;  but  there  are  so  many 
terrible  liars  in  all  rijiments,  that  I  hardly  believed  half  they 
told  me.  Well,  we  went ;  and  though  we  expected  to  be 
led  by  our  ears,  and  to  hear  some  of  that  awful  roaring  that 
we  hear  to-day,  we  were  disapp'inted,  for  natur'  was  not 
then  speaking  in  thunder,  as  she  is  this  morning.  Thus 
it  is,  in  the  forest,  Master  Cap  ;  there  being  moments  when 
God  seems  to  be  walking  abroad  in  power,  and  then,  again, 
there  is  a  calm  over  all,  as  if  his  spirit  lay  in  quiet  along 
the  'arth.  Well,  we  came  suddenly  upon  the  stream,  a 
short  distance  above  the  fall,  and  a  young  Delaware,  who 
was  in  our  company,  found  a  bark  canoe,  and  he  would  push 
into  the  current,  to  reach  an  island  that  lies  in  the  very 
centre  of  the  confusion  and  strife.  We  told  him  of  his  folly, 
we  did,  and  we  reasoned  with  him  on  the  wickedness  of 
tempting  Providence  by  seeking  danger  that  led  to  no  ind ; 
but  the  youth  among  the  Delawares  are  very  much  the  same 
as  the  youth  among  the  soldiers,  risky  and  vain.  All  we 
could  say  did  not  change  his  mind,  and  the  lad  had  his  way. 
To  me  it  seems,  Mabel,  that  whenever  a  thing  is  really 
grand  and  potent,  it  has  a  quiet  majesty  about  it,  that  is 
altogether  unlike  the  frothy  and  flustering  manner  of  smaller 
matters,  and  so  it  was  with  them  rapids.  The  canoe  was  no 
sooner  fairly  in  them,  than  down  it  went,  as  it  might  be,  as  one 
sails  through  the  air  on  the  'arth,  and  no  skill  of  the  }-oung 
Delaware  could  resist  the  stream.  And  yet  he  struggled 
manfully  for  life,  using  the  paddle  to  the  last,  like  the  deer 
that  is  swimming  to  cast  the  hounds.  At  first,  he  shot 
across  the  current  so  swiftly  that  we  thought  he  would  pre- 
vail, but  he  had  miscalculated  his  distance,  and  when  the 
truth  really  struck  him,  he  turned  the  head  up  stream,  and 
struggled  in  a  way  that  was  fearful  to  look  at.  I  could  have 
pitied  him  even  had  he  been  a  Miugo  !  For  a  few  moments 
his  efforts  were  so  frantic,  that  he  actually  prevailed  over 
the  power  of  the  cataract ;  but  natur'  has  its  limits,  and  one 
faltering  stroke  of  the  paddle  set  him  back,  and  then  he  lost 
ground,  foot  by  foot,  inch  by  inch,  until  he  got  near  the  spot 


3o4 


where  the  river  looked  even  and  green,  and  as  if  it  were 
made  of  millions  of  threads  of  water,  all  bent  over  some  huge 
rock,  when  he  shot  backwards  like  an  arrow  and  disappeared, 
the  bow  of  the  canoe  tipping  just  enough  to  let  us  see  what 
had  become  of  him.  I  met  a  Mohawk,  some  years  later, 
who  had  witnessed  the  whole  affair  from  the  bed  of  the 
stream  below,  and  he  told  me  that  the  Delaware  continued 
to  paddle  in  the  air,  until  he  was  lost  in  the  mists  of  the 
falls!" 

' '  And  what  became  of  the  poor  wretch  ? ' '  demanded 
Mabel,  who  had  been  strongly  interested  by  the  natural  elo- 
quence of  the  speaker. 

' '  He  went  to  the  happy  hunting-grounds  of  his  people,  no 
doubt ;  for  though  he  was  risky  and  vain,  he  was  also  just 
and  brave.  Yes,  he  died  foolishly,  but  the  Manitou  of  the 
redskins  has  compassion  on  his  creatur's  as  well  as  the  God 
of  a  Christian  ! ' ' 

A  gun  at  this  moment  was  discharged  from  a  block-house 
near  the  fort,  and  the  shot,  one  of  little  weight,  came  whis- 
tling over  the  cutter's  mast,  an  admonition  to  approach  no 
nearer.  Jasper  was  at  the  helm,  and  he  kept  away,  smiling 
at  the  same  time  as  if  he  felt  no  anger  at  the  rudeness  of 
the  salutation.  The  Scud  was  now  in  the  current,  and  her 
outward  set  soon  carried  her  far  enough  to  leeward  to  avoid 
the  danger  of  a  repetition  of  the  shot,  and  then  she  quietly 
continued  her  course  along  the  land.  As  soon  as  the  river 
was  fairly  opened,  Jasper  ascertained  that  the  Montcalm  was 
not  at  anchor  in  it ;  and  a  man  sent  aloft  came  down  with  the 
report  that  the  horizon  showed  no  sail.  The  hope  was  now 
strong  that  the  artifice  of  Jasper  had  succeeded,  and  that 
the  French  commander  had  missed  them  by  keeping  the 
middle  of  the  lake  as  he  steered  towards  its  head. 

All  that  day  the  wind  hung  to  the  southward,  and  the 
cutter  continued  her  course  about  a  league  from  the  land, 
running  six  or  eight  knots  an  hour  in  perfectly  smooth 
water.  Although  the  scene  had  one  feature  of  monotony, 
the  outline  of  unbroken  forest,  it  was  not  without  its  interest 
and  pleasures.  Various  headlands  presented  themselves,  arid 
the  cutter,  in  running  from  one  to  another,  stretched  across 


Ube 


305 


bays  so  deep  as  almost  to  deserve  the  name  of  gulfs,  but  no- 
where did  the  eye  meet  with  the  evidences  of  civilization. 
Rivers  occasionally  poured  their  tribute  into  the  great  reser- 
voir of  the  lake,  but  their  banks  could  be  traced  inland  for 
miles  by  the  same  outlines  of  trees;  and  even  large  bays 
that  lay  embosomed  in  woods,  communicating  with  Ontario 
only  by  narrow  outlets,  appeared  and  disappeared  without 
bringing  with  them  a  single  trace  of  a  human  habitation. 

Of  all  on  board,  the  Pathfinder  viewed  the  scene  with  the 
most  unmingled  delight.  His  eyes  feasted  on  the  endless 
line  of  forest,  and  more  than  once  that  day,  notwithstand- 
ing he  found  it  so  grateful  to  be  near  Mabel,  listening  to  her 
pleasant  voice,  and  echoing,  in  feelings  at  least,  her  joyous 
laugh,  did  his  soul  pine  to  be  wandering  beneath  the  high 
arches  of  the  maples,  oaks,  and  lindens,  where  his  habits 
had  induced  him  to  fancy  lasting  and  true  joys  were  only  tc 
be  found.  Cap  viewed  the  prospect  differently.  More  than 
once  he  expressed  his  disgust  at  there  being  no  light-houses, 
church-towers,  beacons,  or  roadsteads  with  their  shipping. 
Such  another  coast,  he  protested,  the  world  did  not  contain  ; 
and  taking  the  sergeant  aside,  he  gravely  assured  him  that 
the  region  could  never  come  to  anything,  as  the  havens  were 
neglected,  the  rivers  had  a  deserted  and  useless  look,  and 
that  even  the  breeze  had  a  smell  of  the  forest  about  it,  which 
spoke  ill  of  its  properties. 

But  the  humors  of  the  different  individuals  in  her  did  not 
stay  the  speed  of  the  Scud.  When  the  sun  was  setting,  she 
was  already  a  hundred  miles  on  her  route  towards  Oswego, 
into  which  river  Sergeant  Dunham  now  thought  it  his  duty 
to  go,  in  order  to  receive  any  communications  that  Major 
Duncan  might  please  to  make.  With  a  view  to  effect  this 
purpose,  Jasper  continued  to  hug  the  shore  all  night ;  and 
though  the  wind  began  to  fail  him  towards  morning,  it  lasted 
long  enough  to  carry  the  cutter  up  to  a  point  that  was  known 
to  be  but  a  league  or  two  from  the  fort.  Here  the  breeze 
came  out  light  at  the  northward,  and  the  cutter  hauled  a 
little  from  the  land  in  order  to  obtain  a  safe  offing  should  it 
come  on  to  blow,  or  should  the  weather  again  get  to  be 
easterly. 


3o6  Ube  patbfinfcer 


When  the  day  dawned,  the  cutter  had  the  mouth  of  the 
Oswego  well  under  her  lee,  distant  about  two  miles,  and  just 
as  the  morning  gun  from  the  fort  was  fired,  Jasper  gave  the 
order  to  ease  off  the  sheets,  and  to  bear  up  for  his  port. 
At  that  moment  a  cry  from  the  forecastle  drew  all  eyes 
towards  the  point  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  outlet,  and 
there,  just  without  the  range  of  shot  from  the  light  guns  of 
the  works,  with  her  canvas  reduced  to  barely  enough  to 
keep  her  stationary,  lay  the  Montcalm,  evidently  in  waiting 
for  their  appearance.  To  pass  her  was  impossible,  for,  by 
filling  her  sails,  the  French  ship  could  have  intercepted  them 
in  a  few  minutes  ;  and  the  circumstances  called  for  a  prompt 
decision.  After  a  short  consultation,  the  sergeant  again 
changed  his  plan,  determining  to  make  the  best  of  his  way 
towards  the  station  for  which  he  had  been  originally  des- 
tined, trusting  to  the  speed  of  the  Scud  to  throw  the  enemy 
so  far  astern,  as  to  leave  no  clue  to  her  movements. 

The  cutter,  accordingly,  hauled  upon  a  wind,  with  the 
least  possible  delay,  with  everything  set  that  would  draw. 
Guns  were  fired  from  the  fort,  ensigns  shown,  and  the  ram- 
parts were  again  crowded.  But  sympathy  was  all  the  aid 
that  Lundie  could  lend  to  his  party  ;  and  the  Montcalm, 
also  firing  four  or  five  guns  of  defiance,  and  throwing 
abroad  several  of  the  banners  of  France,  was  soon  in  chase, 
under  a  cloud  of  canvas. 

For  several  hours  the  two  vessels  were  pressing  through 
the  water  as  fast  as  possible,  making  short  stretches  to  wind- 
ward, apparently  with  a  view  to  keep  the  port  under  their 
lee,  the  one  to  enter  it,  if  possible,  and  the  other  to  intercept 
it  in  the  attempt. 

At  meridian,  the  French  ship  was  hull-down  dead  to  lee- 
ward, the  disparity  of  sailing  on  a  wind  being  very  great, 
and  some  islands  were  near  by,  behind  which  Jasper  said  it 
would  be  possible  for  the  cutter  to  conceal  her  future  move- 
ments. Although  Cap  and  the  sergeant,  and  particularly 
Lieutenant  Muir,  to  judge  by  his  language,  still  felt  a  good 
deal  of  distrust  of  the  young  man,  and  Frontenac  was  not 
distant,  this  advice  was  followed,  for  time  pressed,  and  the 
quartermaster  discreetly  observed  that  Jasper  could  not  well 


ipatbffnber  307 


betray  them,  without  running  openly  into  the  enemy's  har- 
bor ;  a  step  they  could  at  any  time  prevent,  since  the  only 
cruiser  of  force  the  French  possessed  at  the  moment  was 
under  their  lee,  and  not  in  a  situation  to  do  them  any  imme- 
diate injury. 

Left  to  himself,  Jasper  Western  soon  proved  how  much 
was  really  in  him.  He  weathered  upon  the  islands,  passed 
them,  and,  on  coming  out  to  the  eastward,  kept  broad  away, 
with  nothing  in  sight  in  his  wake  or  to  leeward.  By  sunset, 
again,  the  cutter  was  up  with  the  first  of  the  islands  that  lie 
in  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  and  ere  it  was  dark  she  was  run- 
ning through  the  narrow  channels  on  her  way  to  the  long 
sought  station.  At  nine  o'clock,  however,  Cap  insisted  that 
they  should  anchor,  for  the  maze  of  islands  became  so  com- 
plicated and  obscure,  that  he  feared,  at  every  opening,  the 
party  would  find  themselves  under  the  guns  of  a  French 
fort.  Jasper  consented  cheerfully,  it  being  a  part  of  his 
standing  instructions  to  approach  the  station  under  such 
circumstances  as  would  prevent  the  men  from  obtaining  any 
very  accurate  notions  of  its  position,  lest  a  deserter  might 
betray  the  little  garrison  to  the  enemy. 

The  Scud  was  brought-to  in  a  small,  retired  bay,  where 
it  would  have  been  difficult  to  find  her  by  daylight,  and 
where  she  was  perfectly  concealed  at  night,  when  all  but  a 
solitary  sentinel  on  deck  sought  their  rest.  Cap  had  been 
so  harassed  during  the  previous  eight-and-forty  hours,  that 
his  slumbers  were  long  and  deep,  nor  did  he  awake  from  his 
first  nap  until  the  day  was  just  beginning  to  dawn.  His 
eyes  were  scarcely  open,  however,  when  his  nautical  instinct 
told  him  that  the  cutter  was  under  way.  Springing  up,  he 
found  the  Scud  threading  the  islands  again,  with  no  one  on 
deck  but  Jasper  and  the  pilot,  unless  the  sentinel  be  ex- 
cepted,  who  had  not  in  the  least  interfered  with  movements 
that  he  had  every  reason  to  believe  were  as  regular  as  they 
were  necessary. 

"How's  this,  Master  Western?"  demanded  Cap,  with 
sufficient  fierceness  for  the  occasion  ;  "  are  you  running  us 
into  Frontenac  at  last,  and  we  all  asleep  below,  like  so  many 
marines  waiting  for  the  '  sentry  go '  ?  " 


3o8  Ube  patbfinfcer 


"  This  is  according  to  orders,  Master  Cap,  Major  Duncan 
having  commanded  me  never  to  approach  the  station  unless 
at  a  moment  when  the  people  were  below  ;  for  he  does  not 
wish  there  should  be  more  pilots  in  these  waters  than  the 
king  has  need  of. ' ' 

"Whe-e-w  !  a  pretty  job  I  should  have  made  of  running 
down  among  these  bushes  and  rocks,  with  no  one  on  deck  ! 
Why  a  regular  York  branch  could  make  nothing  of  such  a 
channel. ' ' 

"  I  always  thought,  sir,"  said  Jasper,  smiling,  "  you  would 
have  done  better  had  you  left  the  cutter  in  my  hands  until 
she  had  safely  reached  her  place  of  destination." 

"We  should  have  done  it,  Jasper;  we  should  have  done 
it,  had  it  not  been  for  a  circumstance  ;  these  circumstances 
are  serious  matters,  and  no  prudent  man  will  overlook 
them." 

"  Well,  sir,  I  hope  there  is  now  an  end  of  them.  We  shall 
arrive  in  less  than  an  hour,  if  the  wind  hold,  and  then 
you  '11  be  safe  from  any  circumstances  that  I  can  contrive." 

"  Humph  !  " 

Cap  was  obliged  to  acquiesce,  and  as  everything  around 
him  had  the  appearance  of  Jasper's  being  sincere,  there  was 
not  much  difficulty  in  making  up  his  mind  to  submit.  It 
would  not  have  been  easy,  indeed,  for  a  person  the  most 
sensitive  on  the  subject  of  circumstances  to  fancy  that  the 
Scud  was  anywhere  in  the  vicinity  of  a  port  as  long  estab- 
lished, and  as  well  known  on  the  frontiers,  as  Frontenac. 
The  islands  might  not  have  been  literally  a  thousand  in 
number,  but  they  were  so  numerous  and  small  as  to  baffle 
calculation,  though  occasionally  one  of  larger  size  than  com- 
mon has  passed.  Jasper  had  quitted  what  might  have  been 
termed  the  main  channel,  and  was  winding  his  way  with  a 
good  stiff  breeze,  and  a  favorable  current,  through  passes 
that  were  sometimes  so  narrow  that  there  appeared  to  be 
barely  sufficient  room  for  the  Scud's  spars  to  clear  the  trees, 
while  at  other  moments  he  shot  across  little  bays,  and  bur- 
ied the  cutter  again  amid  rocks,  forests,  and  bushes.  The 
water  was  so  transparent  that  there  was  no  occasion  for  the 
lead,  and  being  of  equal  depth  little  risk  was  actually  run, 


Ube  jpatbffnfcer  3o9 


though  Cap,  with  his  maritime  habits,  was  in  a  constant 
fever  lest  they  should  strike. 

"  I  give  it  up  !  I  give  it  up,  Pathfinder  !  "  the  old  seaman 
at  length  exclaimed,  when  the  little  vessel  emerged  in  safety 
from  the  twentieth  of  these  narrow  inlets,  through  which 
she  had  been  so  boldly  carried  ;  "  this  is  defying  the  very 
nature  of  seamanship,  and  sending  all  its  laws  and  rules  to 
the  d 1!" 

"  Nay,  nay,  Salt-water  ;  't  is  the  perfection  of  the  art.  You 
perceive  that  Jasper  never  falters,  but,  like  a  hound  with  a 
true  nose,  he  runs  with  his  head  high,  as  if  he  had  a  strong 
scent.  My  life  on  it  the  lad  brings  us  out  right  in  the  ind, 
as  he  would  have  done  in  the  beginning  had  we  given  him 
leave." 

"No  pilot,  no  lead,  no  beacons,  buoys,  or  light-houses, 
no — ' 

' '  Trail  ! ' '  interrupted  Pathfinder,  ' '  for  that  to  me  is  the 
most  mysterious  part  of  the  business.  Water  leaves  no  trail, 
as  every  one  knows,  and  yet  here  is  Jasper  moving  ahead 
as  boldly  as  if  he  had  before  his  eyes  the  prints  of  moccasins 
on  leaves  as  plainly  as  we  can  see  the  sun  in  the  heavens. ' ' 

"  D e  if  I  believe  there  is  even  any  compass  !  " 

"  Stand  by  to  haul  down  the  jib,"  called  out  Jasper,  who 
merely  smiled  at  the  remarks  of  his  companion.  "  Haul 
down  !  starboard  your  helm — starboard  hard — so  ;  meet  her 
— gently  there  with  the  helm — touch  her  lightly  ;  now  jump 
ashore  with  the  fast,  lad — no,  heave  ;  there  are  some  of  our 
people  ready  to  take  it. ' ' 

All  this  passed  so  quickly  as  barely  to  allow  the  specta- 
tors time  to  note  the  different  evolutions,  ere  the  Scud  had 
been  thrown  into  the  wind  until  her  mainsail  shivered,  next 
cast  a  little  by  the  use  of  the  rudder  only,  and  then  she  set 
bodily  alongside  of  a  natural  rocky  qua}',  where  she  was  im- 
mediately secured  by  good  fasts  run  to  the  shore.  In  a  word, 
the  station  was  reached,  and  the  men  of  the  55th  were  greeted 
by  their  expecting  comrades  with  the  satisfaction  that  a 
relief  usually  brings. 

Mabel  sprang  upon  the  shore  with  a  delight  which  she 
did  not  care  to  express,  and  her  father  led  his  men  after  her 


3 10  Ube  patbfinfcer 

with  an  alacrity  which  proved  how  wearied  he  had  become 
of  the  cutter.  The  station,  as  the  place  was  familiarly  termed 
by  the  soldiers  of  the  55th,  was  indeed  a  spot  to  raise  expec- 
tations of  enjoyment  among  those  who  had  been  cooped  up 
so  long  in  a  vessel  of  the  dimensions  of  the  Scud.  None  of 
the  islands  were  high,  though  all  lay  at  a  sufficient  elevation 
above  the  water  to  render  them  perfectly  healthy  and  secure. 
Bach  had  more  or  less  of  wood,  and  the  greater  number  at 
that  distant  day  were  clothed  with  the  virgin  forest.  The 
one  selected  by  the  troops  for  their  purpose  was  small,  con- 
taining about  twenty  acres  of  land,  and  by  some  of  the  acci- 
dents of  the  wilderness  it  had  been  partly  stripped  of  its  trees, 
probably  centuries  before  the  period  of  which  we  are  writing, 
and  a  little  grassy  glade  covered  nearly  half  its  surface.  It 
was  the  opinion  of  the  officer  who  had  made  the  selection  of 
this  spot  for  a  military  post,  that  a  sparkling  spring  near  by 
had  early  caught  the  attention  of  the  Indians,  and  that  they 
had  long  frequented  this  particular  place,  in  their  hunts,  or 
when  fishing  for  salmon — a  circumstance  that  had  kept  down 
the  second  growth,  and  given  time  for  the  natural  grasses  to 
take  root,  and  to  gain  dominion  over  the  soil.  Let  the  cause 
be  what  it  might,  the  effect  was  to  render  this  island  far  more 
beautiful  than  most  of  those  around  it,  and  to  lend  it  an  air 
of  civilization  that  was  then  wanting  in  so  much  of  that  vast 
region  of  country. 

The  shores  of  Station  Island  were  completely  fringed  with 
bushes,  and  great  care  had  been  taken  to  preserve  them,  as 
they  answered  as  a  screen  to  conceal  the  persons  and  things 
collected  within  their  circle.  Favored  by  this  shelter,  as 
well  as  by  that  of  several  thickets  of  trees  and  different 
copses,  some  six  or  eight  low  huts  had  been  erected,  to  be 
used  as  quarters  for  the  officer  and  his  men,  to  contain  stores, 
and  to  serve  the  purposes  of  kitchen,  hospital,  etc.  These 
huts  were  built  of  logs,  in  the  usual  manner,  had  been  roofed 
by  bark  brought  from  a  distance,  lest  the  signs  of  labor 
should  attract  attention,  and  as  they  had  now  been  inhabited 
some  months,  were  as  comfortable  as  dwellings  of  that 
description  usually  ever  get  to  be. 
At  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  island,  however,  was  a 


TTbe  patfofinfcer  311 


small,  densely  wooded  peninsula,  with  a  thicket  of  under- 
brush so  closely  matted  as  nearly  to  prevent  the  possibility 
of  seeing  across  it  so  long  as  the  leaves  remained  on  the 
branches.  Near  the  narrow  neck  that  connected  this  acre 
with  the  rest  of  the  island,  a  small  block-house  had  been 
erected  with  some  attention  to  its  means  of  resistance.  The 
logs  were  bullet-proof,  squared  and  jointed  with  a  care  to 
leave  no  defenceless  points ;  the  windows  were  loop-holes  ; 
the  door  massive  and  small ;  and  the  roof,  like  the  rest  of 
the  structure,  was  framed  of  hewn  timber,  covered  properly 
with  bark  to  exclude  the  rain.  The  lower  apartment,  as 
usual,  contained  stores  and  provisions ;  here,  indeed,  the 
party  kept  all  theif  supplies  ;  the  second  story  was  intended 
for  a  dwelling  as  well  as  for  the  citadel  and  a  low  garret  was 
subdivided  into  two  or  three  rooms,  and  could  hold  the  pal- 
lets of  some  ten  or  fifteen  persons.  All  the  arrangements 
were  exceedingly  simple  and  cheap,  but  they  were  sufficient 
to  protect  the  soldiers  against  the  effects  of  a  surprise.  As 
the  whole  building  was  considerably  less  than  forty  feet  high, 
its  summit  was  concealed  by  the  tops  of  the  trees,  except 
from  the  eyes  of  those  who  had  reached  the  interior  of  the 
island.  On  that  side  the  view  was  open  from  the  upper 
loops,  though  bushes,  even  there,  more  or  less  concealed  the 
base  of  the  wooden  tower. 

The  object  being  purely  defence,  care  had  been  taken  to 
place  the  block-house  so  near  an  opening  in  the  limestone 
rock  that  formed  the  base  of  the  island,  as  to  admit  of  a 
bucket's  being  dropped  into  the  water  in  order  to  obtain  that 
great  essential  in  the  event  of  a  siege.  In  order  to  facilitate 
this  operation,  and  to  enfilade  the  base  of  the  building,  the 
upper  stories  projected  several  feet  beyond  the  lower  in  the 
manner  usual  to  block-houses,  and  pieces  of  wood  filled  the 
apertures  cut  in  the  log  flooring,  which  were  intended  as 
loops  and  traps.  The  communications  between  the  different 
stories  were  by  means  of  ladders.  If  we  add  that  these 
block-houses  were  intended  as  citadels,  for  garrisons  or  set- 
tlements to  retreat  to  in  cases  of  attack,  the  general  reader 
will  obtain  a  sufficiently  correct  idea  of  the  arrangements  it 
is  our  wish  to  explain. 


3r2 


Ube 


But  the  situation  of  the  island  itself  formed  its  principal 
merit  as  a  military  position.  Lying  in  the  midst  of  twenty 
others,  it  was  not  an  easy  matter  to  find  it,  since  boats  might 
pass  quite  near,  and,  by  the  glimpses  caught  through  the 
openings,  this  particular  island  would  be  taken  for  a  part  of 
some  other.  Indeed,  the  channels  between  the  islands  that 
lay  around  the  one  we  have  been  describing,  were  so  nar- 
row, that  it  was  even  difficult  to  say  which  portions  of  the 
land  were  connected,  or  which  separated,  even  as  one  stood 
in  their  centre,  with  the  express  desire  of  ascertaining  the 
truth.  The  little  bay  in  particular,  that  Jasper  used  as  a 
harbor,  was  so  embowered  with  bushes  and  shut  in  with 
islands,  that,  the  sails  of  the  cutter  being  lowered,  her  own 
people,  on  one  occasion,  had  searched  for  hours  before  they 
could  find  the  Scud,  in  their  return  from  a  short  excursion 
among  the  adjacent  channels,  in  quest  offish.  In  short,  the 
place  was  admirably  adapted  to  its  present  uses,  and  its 
natural  advantages  had  been  as  ingeniously  improved  as 
economy  and  the  limited  means  of  a  frontier  post  would  very 
well  allow. 

The  hour  that  succeeded  the  arrival  of  the  Scud  was  one 
of  hurried  excitement.  The  party  in  possession  had  done 
nothing  worthy  of  being  mentioned,  and  wearied  with  their 
seclusion,  they  were  all  eager  to  return  to  Oswego.  The 
sergeant  and  the  officer  he  came  to  relieve  had  no  sooner 
gone  through  the  little  ceremonies  of  transferring  the  com- 
mand, than  the  latter  hurried  on  board  the  Scud  with  his 
whole  party  ;  and  Jasper,  who  would  gladly  have  passed 
the  day  on  the  island,  was  required  to  get  under  way  forth- 
with, the  wind  promising  a  quick  passage  up  the  river,  and 
across  the  lake.  Before  separating,  however,  Lieutenant 
Muir,  Cap,  and  the  sergeant  had  a  private  conference  with 
the  ensign  who  had  been  relieved,  in  which  the  latter  was 
made  acquainted  with  the  suspicions  that  existed  against  the 
fidelity  of  the  young  sailor.  Promising  due  caution,  the 
officer  embarked,  and  in  less  than  three  hours  from  the  time 
when  she  had  arrived,  the  cutter  was  again  in  motion. 

Mabel  had  taken  possession  of  a  hut,  and  with  female  readi- 
ness and  skill  she  made  all  the  simple  little  domestic  arrange- 


Ube 


3i3 


ments  of  which  the  circumstances  would  admit,  not  only  for 
her  own  comfort,  but  for  that  of  her  father.  To  save  labor, 
a  mess  table  was  prepared  in  a  hut  set  apart  for  that  pur- 
pose, where  all  the  heads  of  the  detachment  were  to  eat,  the 
soldier's  wife  performing  the  necessary  labor.  The  hut  of 
the  sergeant,  which  was  the  best  on  the  island,  being  thus 
freed  from  any  of  the  vulgar  offices  of  a  household,  admitted 
of  such  a  display  of  womanly  taste,  that  for  the  first  time 
since  her  arrival  on  the  frontier,  the  girl  felt  proud  of  her 
home.  As  soon  as  these  important  duties  were  discharged, 
she  strolled  out  on  the  island,  taking  a  path  that  led  through 
the  pretty  glade,  and  which  conducted  to  the  only  point  that 
was  not  covered  with  bushes.  Here  she  stood  gazing  at  the 
limpid  water,  which  lay  with  scarcely  a  ruffle  on  it  at  her 
feet,  musing  on  the  novel  situation  in  which  she  was  placed, 
and  permitting  a  pleasing  and  deep  excitement  to  steal  over 
her  feelings,  as  she  remembered  the  scenes  through  which 
she  had  so  lately  passed,  and  conjectured  those  which  still 
lay  veiled  in  the  future. 

"  You  're  a  beautiful  fixture,  in  a  beautiful  spot,  Mistress 
Mabel,"  said  David  Muir,  suddenly  appearing  at  her  elbow, 
"  and  I  '11  no  engage  you  're  not  just  the  handsomest  of  the 
two." 

' '  I  will  not  say,  Mr.  Muir,  that  compliments  on  my  per- 
son are  altogether  unwelcome,  for  I  should  not  gain  credit 
for  speaking  the  truth,  perhaps,"  answered  Mabel,  with 
spirit,  ' '  but  I  will  say  that  if  you  will  condescend  to  address 
to  me  some  remarks  of  a  different  nature,  I  may  be  led  to 
believe  you  think  I  have  sufficient  faculties  to  understand 
them." 

"  Hoot  !  your  mind,  beautiful  Mabel,  is  polished  just  like 
the  barrel  of  £  soldier's  musket,  and  your  conversation  is 

only  too  discreet  and  wise  for  a  poor  d 1  who  has  been 

chewing  birch  up  here  these  four  years  on  the  lines,  instead 
of  receiving  it  in  an  application  that  has  the  virtue  of  im- 
parting knowledge.  But  you  are  no  sorry  I  take  it,  young 
lady,  that  you  've  got  your*  pretty  foot  on  terra  firma  once 
more. ' ' 

"  I  thought  so,  two  hours  since,  Mr.  Muir,  but  che  Scud 


3 14  TTbe  patbfinfcer 


looks  so  beautiful,  as  she  sails  through  these  vistas  of  trees, 
that  I  almost  regret  I  am  no  longer  one  of  her  passengers." 

As  Mabel  ceased  speaking,  she  waved  her  handkerchief 
in  return  to  a  salutation  from  Jasper,  who  kept  his  eyes 
fastened  on  her  form,  until  the  white  sails  of  the  cutter  had 
swept  around  a  point,  and  were  nearly  lost  behind  its  green 
fringe  of  leaves. 

"  There  they  go,  and  I  '11  no  say  'Joy  go  with  them,  '  but 
may  they  have  the  luck  to  return  safely,  for  without  them 
we  shall  be  in  danger  of  passing  the  winter  on  this  island  ; 
unless,  indeed,  we  have  the  alternative  of  the  castle  at 
Quebec.  Yon  Jasper  Eau-douce  is  a  vagrant  sort  of  a  lad, 
and  they  have  reports  of  him  in  the  garrison  that  it  pains 
my  very  heart  to  hear.  Your  worthy  father,  and  almost  as 
worthy  uncle,  have  none  of  the  best  opinion  of  him." 

' '  I  am  sorry  to  hear  it,  Mr.  Muir  ;  I  doubt  not  that  time 
will  remove  all  their  distrust. ' ' 

"If  time  would  only  remove  mine,  pretty  Mabel,"  re- 
joined the  quartermaster,  in  a  wheedling  tone,  "I  should 
feel  no  envy  of  the  commander-in-chief.  I  think  if  I  were 
in  a  condition  to  retire,  the  sergeant  would  just  step  into 
my  shoes." 

"  If  my  dear  father  is  worthy  to  step  into  your  shoes,  Mr. 
Muir,"  returned  the  girl,  with  malicious  pleasure,  "I'm 
sure  that  the  qualification  is  mutual,  and  that  you  are  in 
every  way  worthy  to  step  into  his." 

"  The  deuce  is  in  the  child  !  you  would  not  reduce  me  to 
the  rank  of  a  non-commissioned  officer,  Mabel  !  " 

No,  indeed,  sir,  I  was  not  thinking  of  the  army  at  all, 
as  you  spoke  of  retiring.  My  thoughts  were  more  egotist- 
ical, and  I  was  thinking  how  much  you  reminded  me  of  my 
dear  father,  by  your  experience,  wisdom,  and  suitableness  to 
take  his  place  as  the  head  of  a  family." 

"  As  its  bridegroom,  pretty  Mabel,  but  not  as  its  parent, 
or  natural  chief.  I  see  how  it  is  with  you,  loving  your 
repartee,  and  brilliant  with  wit.  Well,  I  like  spirit  in  a 
young  woman,  so  it  be  not  the  spirit  of  a  scold.  This 
Pathfinder  is  an  extraordinair,  Mabel,  if  truth  may  he  said 
of  the  man," 


ZTbe  patMnber  315 


"Truth  should  be  said  of  him,  or  nothing.  Pathfinder 
is  my  friend — my  very  particular  friend,  Mr.  Muir,  and  no 
evil  can  be  said  of  him,  in  my  presence,  that  I  shall  not 
deny. ' ' 

"I  shall  say  nothing  evil  of  him,  I  can  assure  you, 
Mabel ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  I  doubt  if  much  good  can 
be  said  in  his  favor. ' ' 

"He  is  at  least  expert  with  the  rifle,"  returned  Mabel, 
smiling.  "  That  you  cannot  deny." 

' '  Let  him  have  all  the  credit  of  his  exploits  in  that  way, 
if  you  please  ;  but  he  is  as  illiterate  as  a  Mohawk. ' ' 

"He  may  not  understand  Latin,  but  his  knowledge  of 
Iroquois  is  greater  than  that  of  most  men,  and  it  is  the 
more  useful  language  of  the  two,  in  this  part  of  the  world." 

' '  If  Lundie  himself  were  to  call  on  me  for  an  opinion 
which  I  admired  most,  your  person  or  your  wit,  beautiful 
and  caustic  Mabel,  I  should  be  at  a  loss  to  answer.  My 
admiration  is  so  evenly  divided  between  them,  that  I  often 
fancy  this  is  the  one  that  bears  off  the  palm,  and  then  the 
other  !  Ah  !  the  late  Mrs.  Muir  was  a  paragon  in  that 
way,  also  ! ' ' 

"The  latest  Mrs.  Muir,  did  you  say,  sir?  "  asked  Mabel, 
looking  up  innocently  at  her  companion. 

"Hoot — hoot!  That  is  some  of  Pathfinder's  scandal. 
Now,  I  dare  say  that  the  fellow  has  been  trying  to  persuade 
you,  Mabel,  that  I  have  had  more  than  one  wife  already." 

"In  that  case,  his  time  would  have  been  thrown  away, 
sir,  as  everybody  knows  that  you  have  been  so  unfortunate 
as  to  have  had  four." 

' '  Only  three,  as  sure  as  my  name  is  David  Muir.  The 
fourth  is  pure  scandal — or,  rather,  pretty  Mabel,  she  is  yet 
in  petto,  as  they  say  at  Rome  ;  and  that  means  in  matters  of 
love,  in  the  heart,  my  dear." 

"  Well,  I  'm  glad  I  'm  not  that  fourth  person,  in  petto,  or 
in  anything  else,  as  I  should  not  like  to  be  a  scandal !  " 

' '  No  fear  of  that,  charming  Mabel ;  for  were  you  the 
fourth,  all  the  others  would  be  forgotten,  and  your  wonder- 
ful beauty  and  merit  would  at  once  elevate  you  to  the  first. 
No  fear  of  you  being  fourth  in  anything." 


3i6  TTbe  patbffrrter 


"  There  is  consolation  in  that  assurance,  Mr.  Muir,"  said 
Mabel,  laughing,  "  whatever  there  may  be  in  your  other 
assurance  ;  for  I  confess  I  should  prefer  being  even  a  fourth 
rate  beauty  to  being  a  fourth  wife." 

So  saying,  she  tripped  away,  leaving  the  quartermaster  to 
meditate  on  his  want  of  success.  Mabel  had  been  induced 
to  use  her  female  means  of  defence  thus  freely,  partly  be- 
cause her  suitor  had  of  late  been  so  pointed  as  to  stand  in 
need  of  a  pretty  strong  repulse,  and  partly  on  account  of  his 
innuendoes  against  Jasper  and  the  Pathfinder.  Though  full 
of  spirit  and  quick  of  intellect,  she  was  not  naturally  pert ; 
but,  on  the  present  occasion,  she  thought  circumstances 
called  for  more  than  usual  decision.  When  she  left  her 
companion,  therefore,  she  believed  she  was  now  finally 
released  from  attentions  that  she  thought  as  ill  bestowed  as 
they  were  certainly  disagreeable.  Not  so,  however,  with 
David  Muir ;  accustomed  to  rebuffs,  and  familiar  with  the 
virtue  of  perseverance,  he  saw  no  reason  to  despair,  though 
the  half  menacing,  half  self-satisfied  manner  in  which  he 
shook  his  head  towards  the  retreating  girl,  might  have 
betrayed  designs  as  sinister  as  they  were  determined.  While 
he  was  thus  occupied,  the  Pathfinder  approached,  and  got 
within  a  few  feet  of  him,  unseen. 

'  'T  will  never  do,  quartermaster,  'twill  never  do  !  "  com- 
menced the  latter,  laughing  in  his  noiseless  way  ;  "  she  is 
young  and  actyve,  and  none  but  a  quick  foot  can  overtake 
her.  They  tell  me  you  are  her  suitor,  if  you  're  not  her 
follower." 

"  And  I  hear  the  same  of  yourself,  man,  though  the  pre- 
sumption would  be  so  great  that  I  scarce  can  think  it  true." 

"  I  fear  you  're  right,  I  do  ;  yes,  I  fear  you  're  right ! 
when  I  consider  myself— what  I  am— how  little  I  know,  and 
how  rude  my  life  has  been,  I  altogether  distrust  my  claim, 
even  to  think  a  moment,  of  one  so  tutored,  and  gay,  and 
light  of  heart,  and  delicate — " 

I' You  forget  handsome,"  coarsely  interrupted  Muir. 

"And  handsome,  too,  I  fear,"  returned  the  meek  and 
self-abased  guide  ;  "  I  might  have  said  handsome,  at  once, 
among  her  other  qualities,  for  the  young  fa' an,  just  as  it 


Ube 


3I7 


learns  to  bound,  is  not  more  pleasant  to  the  eye  of  the  hun- 
ter than  Mabel  is  lovely  in  mine.  I  do  indeed  fear  that  all 
the  thoughts  I  have  harbored  about  her  are  vain  and 
presumptuous. ' ' 

"If  you  think  this,  my  friend,  of  your  own  accord,  and 
natural  modesty,  as  it  might  be,  my  duty  to  you  as  an  old 
fellow-campaigner  compels  me  to  say — " 

"Quartermaster,"  interrupted  the  other,  regarding  his 
companion  keenly,  ' '  you  and  I  have  lived  together  much 
behind  the  ramparts  of  forts,  but  very  little  in  the  open 
woods,  or  in  front  of  the  inimy." 

' '  Garrison  or  tent,  it  all  passes  for  part  of  the  same  cam- 
paign, you  know,  Pathfinder ;  and  then  my  duty  keeps  me 
much  within  sight  of  the  store-houses,  greatly  contrary  to 
my  inclinations,  as  ye  may  well  suppose,  having  yourself  the 
ardor  of  battle  in  your  temperament.  But  had  ye  heard 
what  Mabel  has  just  been  saying  of  you,  ye  'd  no  think 
another  minute  of  making  yourself  agreeable  to  the  saucy 
and  uncompromising  hussy." 

Pathfinder  looked  earnestly  at  the  lieutenant,  for  it  was 
impossible  he  should  not  feel  an  interest  in  what  might  be 
Mabel's  opinion ;  but  he  had  too  much  of  the  innate  and 
true  feeling  of  a  gentleman,  to  ask  to  hear  what  another 
had  said  of  him.  Muir,  however,  was  not  to  be  foiled  by 
this  self-denial  and  self-respect ;  for,  believing  he  had  a  man 
of  great  truth  and  simplicity  to  deal  with,  he  determined  to 
practise  on  his  credulity,  as  one  means  of  getting  rid  of  his 
rivalry.  He,  therefore,  pursued  the  subject,  as  soon  as  he 
perceived  that  his  companion's  self-denial  was  stronger  than 
his  curiosity. 

"You  ought  to  know  her  opinion,  Pathfinder,"  he  con- 
tinued ;  ' '  and  I  think  every  man  ought  to  hear  what  his 
friends  and  acquaintances  say  of  him ;  and  so,  by  way  of 
proving  my  own  regard  for  your  character  and  feelings,  I  '11 
just  tell  you,  in  as  few  words  as  possible.  You  know  that 
Mabel  has  a  wicked,  malicious  way  with  those  eyes  of  her 
own,  when  she  has  a  mind  to  be  hard  upon  one's  feelings." 

"To  me  her  eyes,  Lieutenant  Muir,  have  always  seemed 
winning  and  soft,  though  I  will  acknowledge  that  they  some- 


3i8  ^be  patbffn&er 


times  laugh— yes,  I  have  known  them  to  laugh  ;  and  that 
right  heartily,  and  with  downright  good-will." 

"Well,  it  was  just  that,  then;  her  eyes  were  laughing 
with  all  their  might,  as  it  were,  and  in  the  midst  of  all  her 
fun,  she  broke  out  with  an  exclamation  to  this  effect— I  hope 
'twill  no  hurt  your  sensibility,  Pathfinder?  " 

"  I  will  not  say,  quartermaster,  I  will  not  say  ;  Mabel's 
opinion  of  me  is  of  more  account  than  that  of  most  others. ): 
"Then  I  '11  no  tell  ye,  but  just  keep  discretion  on  the  sub- 
ject ;  and  why  should  a  man  be  telling  another  what  his 
friends  say  of  him,  especially  when  they  happen  to  say  that 
which  may  not  be  pleasant  to  hear?  I'll  not  add  another 
word  to  this  present  communication." 

"  I  cannot  make  you  speak,  quartermaster,  if  you  are  not 
so  minded,  and  perhaps  it  is  better  for  me  not  to  know  Ma- 
bel's opinion,  as  you  seem  to  think  it  is  not  in  my  favor. 
Ah 's  me  !  if  we  could  be  what  we  wished  to  be,  instead  of 
being  only  what  we  are,  there  would  be  a  great  difference 
in  our  characters,  and  knowledge,  and  appearance.  One 
may  be  rude,  and  coarse,  and  ignorant,  and  yet  happy,  if  he 
does  not  know  it ;  but  it  is  hard  to  see  our  own  failings  in 
the  strongest  light,  just  as  we  wish  to  hear  the  least  about 
them." 

"That 's  just  the  rationale,  as  the  French  say,  of  the  mat- 
ter ;  and  so  I  was  telling  Mabel,  when  she  ran  away  and  left 
me.  You  noticed  the  manner  in  which  she  skipped  off,  as 
you  approached  ? ' ' 

"It  was  very  observable,"  answered  Pathfinder,  drawing 
a  long  breath,  and  clenching  the  barrel  of  his  rifle,  as  if  the 
fingers  would  bury  themselves  in  the  iron. 

"It  was  more  than  observable,  it  was  flagrant — that's 
just  the  word,  and  the  dictionary  wouldn't  supply  a  better, 
after  an  hour's  search.  Well,  you  must  know,  Pathfinder, 
for  I  cannot  reasonably  deny  you  the  gratification  of  hearing 
this— so  you  must  know,  the  minx  bounded  off  in  that 
manner,  in  preference  to  hearing  what  I  had  to  say  in  your 
justification." 

"  And  what  could  you  find  to  say  in  my  behalf,  quarter- 
master?" 


Ube  patbffnfcer  3i9 


"Why,  d'ye  understand,  my  friend,  I  was  ruled  by  cir- 
cumstances, and  no  ventured  indiscreetly  into  generalities, 
but  was  preparing  to  meet  particulars,  as  it  might  be,  with 
particulars.  If  you  were  thought  wild,  and  half-savage,  or 
of  a  frontier  formation,  I  could  tell  her,  ye  know,  that  it 
came  of  the  frontier,  wild,  half-savage  life  ye'd  led;  and 
all  her  objections  must  cease  at  once,  or  there  would  be  a 
sort  of  a  misunderstanding  with  Providence." 

"And  did  you  tell  her  this,  quartermaster  ?  " 

"I'll  no  swear  to  the  exact  words,  but  the  idea  was 
prevalent  in  my  mind,  ye  '11  understand.  The  girl  was  im- 
patient, and  would  not  hear  the  half  I  had  to  say  ;  but  away  she 
skipped,  as  ye  saw  with  your  own  eyes,  Pathfinder,  as  if  her 
opinion  were  fully  made  up,  and  she  cared  to  listen  no  longer. 
I  fear  her  mind  may  be  said  to  have  come  to  its  conclusion." 

"  I  fear  it  has,  indeed,  quartermaster,  and  her  father,  after 
all,  is  mistaken.  Yes,  yes ;  the  sergeant  has  fallen  into  a 
grievous  error." 

"  Well,  man,  why  need  ye  lament,  and  undo  all  the  grand 
reputation  ye've  been  so  many  years  making?  Shoulder 
the  rifle  that  ye  use  so  well,  and  off  into  the  woods  with  ye, 
for  there  's  not  the  female  breathing  that  is  worth  the  heavy 
heart  for  a  minute,  as  I  know  from  experience.  Tak'  the 
word  of  one  who  knows  the  sax,  and  has  had  two  wives, 
that  women,  after  all,  are  very  much  the  sort  of  creatures 
we  do  not  imagine  them  to  be.  Now,  if  you  would  really 
mortify  Mabel,  here  is  as  glorious  an  occasion  as  any  rejected 
lover  could  desire." 

' '  The  last  wish  I  have,  lieutenant,  would  be  to  mortify 
Mabel." 

"Well,  ye '11  come  to  that  in  the  end,  notwithstanding, 
for  it's  human  nature  to  desire  to  give  unpleasant  feelings 
to  them  that  give  unpleasant  feelings  to  us.  But  a  better 
occasion  never  offered  to  make  your  friends  love  you,  than 
is  to  be  had  at  this  very  moment,  and  that  is  the  certain 
means  of  causing  one 's  enemies  to  envy  us." 

"  Quartermaster,  Mabel  is  not  my  inimy  ;  and  if  she  was, 
the  last  thing  I  could  desire  would  be  to  give  her  an  uneasy 
moment." 


320  Ube  patbfinber 

"Ye  say  so,  Pathfinder— ye  say  so,  and  I  dare  say  ye 
think  so  ;  but  reason  and  nature  are  both  against  you,  as 
ye  '11  find  in  the  end.  Ye  've  heard  the  saying  of  '  Love  me, 
love  my  dog : '  well,  now,  that  means,  read  backwards, 
'  Don't  love  me,  don't  love  my  dog.'  Now,  listen  to  what  is 
in  your  power  to  do.  You  know  we  occupy  an  exceedingly 
precarious  and  uncertain  position  here,  almost  in  the  jaws 
of  the  lion,  as  it  were  ?  ' ' 

"Do  you  mean  the  Frenchers,  by  the  lion,  and  this  island 
as  his  jaws,  lieutenant  ?  " 

"  Metaphorically  only,  my  friend,  for  the  French  are  no 
lions,  and  this  island  is  not  a  jaw — unless,  indeed,  it  may 
prove  to  be,  what  I  greatly  fear  may  come  true,  the  jaw- 
bone of  an  ass  !  " 

Here  the  quartermaster  indulged  in  a  sneering  laugh  that 
proclaimed  anything  but  respect  and  admiration  for  his 
friend  Lundie's  sagacity  in  selecting  that  particular  spot  for 
his  operations. 

' '  The  post  is  as  well  chosen  as  any  I  ever  put  foot  in, ' ' 
said  Pathfinder,  looking  around  him  as  one  surveys  a  picture. 

"I'll  no  deny  it — I'll  no  deny  it.  Lundie  is  a  great 
soldier,  in  a  small  way  ;  and  his  father  was  a  great  laird, 
with  the  same  qualification.  I  was  born  on  the  estate,  and 
have  followed  the  major  so  long,  that  I  've  got  to  reverence 
all  he  says  and  does.  That 's  just  my  weakness,  ye  '11  know, 
Pathfinder.  Well,  this  post  may  be  the  post  of  an  ass,  or 
of  a  Solomon,  as  men  fancy  ;  but  it 's  most  critically  placed, 
as  is  apparent  by  all  Lundie's  precautions  and  injunctions. 
There  are  savages  out,  scouting  through  these  thousand 
islands,  and  over  the  forest,  searching  for  this  very  spot,  as 
is  known  to  Lundie  himself,  on  certain  information ;  and 
the  greatest  service  you  can  render  the  55th,  is  to  discover 
their  trails,  and  lead  them  off  on  a  false  scent.  Unhappily, 
Sergeant  Dunham  has  taken  up  the  notion,  that  the  danger 
is  to  be  apprehended  from  up  stream,  because  Frontenac 
lies  above  us ;  whereas,  all  experience  tells  us,  that  Indians 
come  on  the  side  that  is  most  contrary  to  reason,  and,  con- 
sequently, are  to  be  expected  from  below.  Take  your  canoe, 
therefore,  and  go  down  stream,  among  the  islands,  that  we 


Ube  jpatbfinfcer  321 


may  have  notice  if  any  danger  approaches  from  that  quarter. 
If  you  should  look  a  few  miles  on  the  main,  especially  on 
the  York  side,  the  information  you  'd  bring  in  would  be  all 
the  more  accurate,  and,  consequently,  the  more  valuable." 

"  The  Big  Sarpent  is  on  the  lookout  in  that  quarter,  and 
as  he  knows  the  station  well,  no  doubt  he  will  give  us  timely 
notice,  should  any  wish  to  sarcumvent  us  in  that  direction." 

"  He  is  but  an  Indian,  after  all,  Pathfinder,  and  this  is  an 
affair  that  calls  for  the  knowledge  of  a  white  man.  Lundie 
will  be  eternally  grateful  to  the  man  that  shall  help  this 
little  enterprise  to  come  off  with  flying  colors.  To  tell  you 
the  truth,  my  friend,  he  is  conscious  it  should  never  have 
been  attempted,  but  he  has  too  much  of  the  old  laird's  ob- 
stinacy about  him  to  own  an  error,  though  it  be  as  manifest 
as  the  morning  star. ' ' 

The  quartermaster  then  continued  to  reason  with  his 
companion,  in  order  to  induce  him  to  quit  the  island  without 
delay,  using  such  arguments  as  first  suggested  themselves, 
sometimes  contradicting  himself,  and  not  unfrequently  urg- 
ing at  one  moment  a  motive  that  at  the  next  was  directly 
opposed  by  another.  The  Pathfinder,  simple  as  he  was, 
detected  these  flaws  in  the  lieutenant's  philosophy,  though 
he  was  far  from  suspecting  that  they  proceeded  from  a 
desire  to  clear  the  coast  of  Mabel's  suitor.  He  met  bad 
reasons  by  good  ones,  resisted  every  inducement  that  was 
not  legitimate,  by  his  intimate  acquaintance  with  his  peculiar 
duties,  and  was  blind,  as  usual,  to  the  influence  of  every 
incentive  that  could  not  stand  the  test  of  integrity.  He 
did  not  exactly  suspect  the  secret  objects  of  Muir,  but  he 
was  far  from  being  blind  to  his  sophistry.  The  result  was 
that  the  two  parted,  after  a  long  dialogue,  unconvinced  and 
distrustful  of  each  other's  motives,  though  the  distrust  of  the 
guide,  like  all  that  was  connected  with  the  man,  partook  of 
his  own  upright,  disinterested,  and  ingenuous  nature. 

A  conference  that  took  place,  soon  after,  between  Ser- 
geant Dunham  and  the  lieutenant,  led  to  more  consequences. 
When  it  was  ended,  secret  orders  were  issued  to  the  men, 
the  block-house  was  taken  possession  of,  the  huts  were 
occupied,  and  one  accustomed  to  the  movements  of  soldiers 


322 


might  have  detected  that  an  expedition  was  in  the  wind. 
In  fact,  just  as  the  sun  was  setting,  the  sergeant,  who  had 
been  much  occupied  at  what  was  called  the  harbor,  came 
into  his  own  hut,  followed  by  Pathfinder  and  Cap,  and  as 
he  took  his  seat  at  the  neat  table  that  Mabel  had  prepared 
for  him,  he  opened  the  budget  of  his  intelligence. 

' '  You  are  likely  to  be  of  some  use  here,  my  child, ' '  the  old 
soldier  commenced,  ' '  as  this  tidy  and  well  ordered  supper 
can  testify ;  and,  I  trust,  when  the  proper  moment  arrives, 
you  will  show  yourself  to  be  the  descendant  of  those  who 
know  how  to  face  their  enemies. ' ' 

"  You  do  not  expect  me,  dear  father,  to  play  Joan  of  Arc, 
and  to  lead  the  men  to  battle  ? ' ' 

"Play  whom,  child?  did  you  ever  hear  of  the  person 
Mabel  mentions,  Pathfinder  ?  ' ' 

"Not  I,  sergeant;  but  what  of  that?  I  am  ignorant 
and  unedicated,  and  it  is  too  great  a  pleasure  to  me  to  listen 
to  her  voice,  and  take  in  her  words,  to  be  particular  about 
persons." 

"  I  know  her,"  said  Cap,  decidedly  ;  "  she  sailed  a  priva- 
teer out  of  Morlaix,  in  the  last  war ;  and  good  cruises  she 
made  of  them." 

Mabel  blushed  at  having  inadvertently  made  an  allusion 
that  went  beyond  her  father's  reading,  to  say  nothing  of  her 
uncle's  dogmatism  ;  and,  perhaps,  a  little  at  the  Pathfinder's 
simple,  ingenuous  earnestness ;  but  she  did  not  forbear  the 
less  to  smile. 

"  Why,  father,  I  am  not  expected  to  fall  in  with  the  men 
and  to  help  defend  the  island  ?  " 

"And  yet,  women  often  have  done  such  things,  in  this 
quarter  of  the  world,  girl,  as  our  friend,  the  Pathfinder 
here,  will  tell  you.  But,  lest  you  should  be  surprised  at 
not  seeing  us,  when  you  awake  in  the  morning,  it  is  proper 
that  I  now  tell  you  we  intend  to  march  in  the  course  of  this 
very  night." 

"  We,  father— and  leave  me  and  Jennie  on  this  island 
alone  !  " 

"  No,  my  daughter,  not  quite  as  unmilitary  as  that.  We 
shall  leave  Lieutenant  Muir,  brother  Cap,  Corporal  McNab, 


TTbe  patbffn&er  323 


and  three  men,  to  compose  the  garrison  during  our  absence, 
Jennie  will  remain  with  you  in  this  hut,  and  brother  Cap 
will  occupy  my  place. ' ' 

"And  Mr.  Muir  ?  "  said  Mabel,  half  unconscious  of  what 
she  uttered,  though  she  foresaw  a  great  deal  of  unpleasant 
persecution  in  the  arrangement. 

"  Why,  he  can  make  love  to  you,  if  you  like  it,  girl ;  for 
he  is  an  amorous  youth,  and  having  already  disposed  of 
four  wives,  is  impatient  to  show  how  much  he  honors  their 
memories,  by  taking  a  fifth." 

"The  quartermaster  tells  me,"  said  Pathfinder,  innocently, 
"that  when  a  man's  feelings  have  been  harrowed  by  so 
many  losses,  there  is  no  wiser  way  to  soothe  them,  than  by 
ploughing  up  the  soil  anew,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  leave  no 
traces  of  what  has  gone  over  it  before." 

"Ay,  that  is  just  the  difference  between  ploughing  and 
harrowing, ' '  returned  the  sergeant,  with  a  grim  smile.  ' '  But 
let  him  tell  Mabel  his  mind,  and  there  will  be  an  end  of  his 
suit.  I  very  well  know  that  my  daughter  will  never  be  the 
wife  of  Lieutenant  Muir." 

This  was  said  in  a  way  that  was  tantamount  to  declar- 
ing that  no  daughter  of  his  ever  should  become  the  wife  of 
the  person  in  question.  Mabel  had  colored,  trembled,  half 
laughed,  and  looked  uneasy ;  but,  rallying  her  spirit,  she 
said  in  a  voice  so  cheerful  as  completely  to  conceal  her 
agitation, — 

"  But,  father,  we  might  better  wait  until  Mr.  Muir  mani- 
fests a  wish  that  your  daughter  would  have  him,  or  rather  a 
wish  to  have  your  daughter,  lest  we  get  the  fable  of  sour 
grapes  thrown  into  our  faces." 

' '  And  what  is  that  fable,  Mabel  ? ' '  eagerly  demanded 
Pathfinder,  who  was  anything  but  learned  in  the  ordinary 
lore  of  white  men  ;  "  tell  it  to  us  in  your  own  pretty  way, 
I  dare  say  the  sergeant  never  heard  it." 

Mabel  repeated  the  well-known  fable,  and,  as  her  suitor 
had  desired,  in  her  own  pretty  way,  which  was  a  way  to 
keep  his  eyes  riveted  on  her  face,  and  the  whole  of  his 
honest  countenance  covered  with  a  smile. 

"  That  was  like  a  fox  !  "     cried  Pathfinder,  when  she  had 


324  ttbe 


ceased,  "  ay,  and  like  a  Mingo,  too,  cunning  and  cruel  ;  that 
is  the  way  with  both  the  riptyles.  As  to  grapes,  they  are 
sour  enough  in  this  part  of  the  country,  even  to  them  that 
can  get  at  them,  though  I  dare  say  there  are  seasons,  and 
times,  and  places,  where  they  are  sourer  to  them  that  can't. 
I  should  judge,  now,  my  scalp  is  very  sour  in  Mingo  eyes." 
"  The  sour  grapes  will  be  the  other  way,  child,  and  it  is 
Mr.  Muir  who  will  make  the  complaint.  You  would  never 
marry  that  man,  Mabel  ?  '  ' 

"  Not  she,"  put  in  Cap  ;  "  a  fellow  who  is  only  half  a  sol- 
dier, after  all  !  The  story  of  them  there  grapes  is  quite  a 
circumstance.  '  ' 

"I  think  little  of  marrying  any  one,  dear  father,  and 
dear  uncle,  and  would  rather  talk  about  it  less,  if  you  please. 
But,  did  I  think  of  marrying  at  all,  I  do  believe  a  man  whose 
affections  have  already  been  tried  by  three  or  four  wives 
would  scarcely  be  my  choice." 

The  sergeant  nodded  at  the  guide,  as  much  as  to  say, 
You  see  how  the  land  lies  ;  and  then  he  had  sufficient  con- 
sideration for  his  daughter's  feelings  to  change  the  subject. 

"Neither  you  nor  Mabel,  brother  Cap,"  he  resumed,  "can 
have  any  legal  authority  with  the  garrison  I  leave  behind, 
on  the  island  ;  but  you  may  counsel  and  influence.  Strictly 
speaking,  Corporal  McNab  will  be  the  commanding  officer, 
and  I  have  endeavored  to  impress  him  with  a  sense  of  his 
dignity,  lest  he  might  give  way  too  much  to  the  superior 
rank  of  Lieutenant  Muir,  who,  being  a  volunteer,  can  have 
no  right  to  interfere  with  the  duty.  I  wish  you  to  sustain 
the  corporal,  brother  Cap,  for  should  the  quartermaster  once 
break  through  the  regulations  of  the  expedition,  he  may 
pretend  to  command  me  as  well  as  McNab." 

"More  particularly,  should  Mabel  really  cut  him  adrift 
while  you  are  absent.  Of  course,  sergeant,  you'll  leave 
everything  that  is  afloat  under  my  care  ?  The  most  d  -  le 
confusion  has  grown  out  of  misunderstandings  between 
commanders-in-chief  ashore  and  afloat." 

"  In  one  sense,  brother,  though  in  a  general  way,  the 
corporal  is  commander-in-chief.  History  does  indeed  tell 
us  that  a  division  of  command  leads  to  difficulties,  and  I 


tTbe  patbtinber  325 


shall  avoid  that  danger.  The  corporal  must  command,  but 
you  can  counsel  freely,  particularly  in  all  matters  relating 
to  the  boats,  of  which  I  shall  leave  one  behind,  to  secure 
your  retreat  should  there  be  occasion.  I  know  the  corporal 
well ;  he  is  a  brave  man,  and  a  good  soldier ;  and  one  that 
may  be  relied  on,  if  the  Santa  Cruz  can  be  kept  from  him. 
But  then  he  is  a  Scotchman,  and  will  be  liable  to  the  quar- 
termaster's influence,  against  which  I  desire  both  you  and 
Mabel  to  be  on  your  guard." 

' '  But  why  leave  us  behind,  dear  father  ?  I  have  come 
thus  far  to  be  a  comfort  to  you,  and  why  not  go  farther  ? ' ' 

"You  are  a  good  girl,  Mabel,  and  very  like  the  Dun- 
hams !  But  you  must  halt  here.  We  shall  leave  the 
island  to-morrow  before  the  day  dawns,  in  order  not  to  be 
seen  by  any  pry-ing  eyes  coming  from  under  cover,  and  we 
shall  take  the  two  largest  boats,  leaving  you  the  other  and 
one  bark  canoe.  We  are  about  to  go  into  the  channel  used 
by  the  French,  where  we  shall  lie  in  wait  perhaps  a  week  to 
intercept  their  supply-boats  that  are  about  to  pass  up,  on 
their  way  to  Frontenac,  loaded  in  particular  with  a  heavy 
amount  of  Indian  goods." 

' '  Have  you  looked  well  -to  your  papers,  brother  ? ' '  Cap 
anxiously  demanded.  "  Of  course  you  know  a  capture  on 
the  high  seas  is  piracy,  unless  your  boat  is  regularly  com- 
missioned either  as  a  public  or  a  private  armed  cruiser. ' ' 

"I  have  the  honor  to  hold  the  colonel's  appointment  as 
sergeant-major  of  the  55th,"  returned  the  other,  drawing 
himself  up  with  dignity,  "  and  that  will  be  sufficient  even 
for  the  French  king.  If  not,  I  have  Major  Duncan's  written 
orders. ' ' 

"No  papers  them,  for  a  warlike  cruiser." 

"They  must  suffice,  brother,  as  I  have  no  other.  It  is 
of  vast  importance  to  his  majesty's  interests  in  this  part  of 
the  world,  that  the  boats  in  question  should  be  captured  and 
carried  into  Oswego.  They  contain  the  blankets,  trinkets, 
rifles,  ammunition — in  short,  all  the  stores  with  which  the 
French  bribe  their  accursed  savage  allies  to  commit  their 
unholy  acts,  setting  at  naught  our  holy  religion  and  its 
precepts,  the  laws  of  humanity,  and  all  that  is  sacred  and 


326  TTbe  patMn&er 


dear  among  men.  By  cutting  off  these  supplies  we  shall 
derange  their  plans,  and  gain  time  on  them  ;  for  the  articles 
cannot  be  sent  across  the  ocean  again  this  autumn." 

"But,  father,  does  not  his  majesty  employ  Indians  also?  " 
asked  Mabel,  with  some  curiosity. 

"Certainly,  girl,  and  he  has  a  right  to  employ  them— 
God  bless  him  !  It 's  a  very  different  thing  whether  an 
Englishman  or  a  Frenchman  employs  a  savage,  as  every- 
body can  understand." 

"That  is  plain  enough,  brother  Dunham;  but  I  do  not 
see  my  way  so  clear  in  the  matter  of  the  ship's  papers." 

"An  English  colonel's  appointment  ought  to  satisfy  any 
Frenchman  of  my  authority ;  and  what  is  more,  brother,  it 
shall." 

"  But  I  do  not  see  the  difference,  father,  between  an  Eng- 
lishman's and  a  Frenchman's  employing  savages  in  war." 

"All  the  odds  in  the  world,  child,  though  you  may  not 
be  able  to  see  it.  In  the  first  place,  an  Englishman  is 
naturally  humane  and  considerate,  while  a  Frenchman  is 
naturally  ferocious  and  timid. ' ' 

"And  you  may  add,  brother,  that  he  will  dance  from 
morning  till  night,  if  you  '11  let  him." 

"Very  true,"  gravely  returned  the  sergeant. 

"But,  father,  I  cannot  see  that  all  this  alters  the  case.  If 
it  be  wrong  in  a  Frenchman  to  hire  savages  to  fight  his 
enemies,  it  would  seem  to  be  equally  wrong  in  an  English- 
man. You  will  admit  this,  Pathfinder?  " 

"It's  reasonable — it 's  reasonable,  and  I  have  never  been 
one  of  them  that  has  raised  a  cry  agin  the  Frenchers  for 
doing  the  very  thing  we  do  ourselves.  Still,  it  is  worse 
to  consort  with  a  Mingo  than  to  consort  with  a  Delaware. 
If  any  of  that  just  tribe  were  left,  I  should  think  it  no  sin  to 
send  them  out  agin  the  foe." 

"  And  yet  they  scalp  and  slay  young  and  old — women 
and  children  !" 

"They  have  their  gifts,  Mabel,  and  are  not  to  be  blamed 
for  following  them.  Natur'  is  natur',  though  the  different 
tribes  have  different  ways  of  showing  it.  For  my  part,  I 
am  white,  and  endeavor  to  maintain  white  feelings." 


ZIbe 


327 


"This  is  all  unintelligible  to  me,"  answered  Mabel. 
"  What  is  right  in  King  George,  it  would  seem,  ought  to  be 
right  in  King  L,ouis." 

"The  King  of  France's  real  name  is  Caput,"  observed 
Cap,  with  his  mouth  full  of  venison.  ' '  I  once  carried  a 
great  scholar  as  a  passenger,  and  he  told  me  that  these 
Lewises  thirteenth,  fourteenth,  and  fifteenth,  were  all  hum- 
bugs, and  that  the  men's  real  name  was  Caput ;  which  is 
French  for  '  head '  ;  meaning  that  they  ought  to  be  put  at 
the  foot  of  the  ladder,  until  ready  to  go  up  to  be  hanged." 

"Well,  this  does  look  like  being  given  to  scalping,  as  a 
nat'ral  gift,"  Pathfinder  remarked,  with  the  air  of  surprise 
with  which  one  receives  a  novel  idea,  ' '  and  I  shall  have 
less  compunction  than  ever  in  sarving  agin  the  miscreants, 
though  I  can't  say  I  ever  yet  felt  any  worth  naming." 

As  all  parties,  Mabel  excepted,  seemed  satisfied  with  the 
course  the  discussion  had  taken,  no  one  appeared  to  think 
it  necessary  to  pursue  the  subject.  The  trio  of  men,  in- 
deed, in  this  particular,  so  much  resembled  the  great  mass 
of  their  fellow-creatures,  who  usually  judge  of  character 
equally  without  knowledge  and  without  justice,  that  we 
might  not  have  thought  it  necessary  to  record  the  discourse, 
had  it  not  some  bearing  in  its  facts  on  the  incidents  of  the 
legend,  and  in  its  opinions  on  the  motives  of  the  characters. 

Supper  was  no  sooner  ended  than  the  sergeant  dismissed 
his  guests,  and  then  held  a  long  and  confidential  dialogue 
with  his  daughter.  He  was  little  addicted  to  giving  way  to 
the  gentler  emotions,  but  the  novelty  of  his  present  situa- 
tion awakened  feelings  that  he  was  unused  to  experience. 
The  soldier,  or  the  sailor,  so  long  as  he  acts  under  the  im- 
mediate supervision  of  a  superior,  thinks  little  of  the  risks 
he  runs ;  but  the  moment  he  feels  the  responsibility  of 
command,  all  the  hazards  of  his  undertaking  begin  to  as- 
sociate themselves  in  his  mind  with  the  chances  of  success 
or  failure.  While  he  dwells  less  on  his  own  personal  dan- 
ger, perhaps,  than  when  that  is  the  principal  consideration, 
he  has  more  lively  general  perceptions  of  all  the  risks,  and 
submits  more  to  the  influence  of  the  feelings  which  doubt 
creates.  Such  was  now  the  case  with  Sergeant  Dunham, 


328  Ube  patfofinfcer 


who,  instead  of  looking  forward  to  victory  as  certain,  ac- 
cording to  his  usual  habits,  began  to  feel  the  possibility  that 
he  might  be  parting  with  his  child  forever. 

Never  before  had  Mabel  struck  him  as  so  beautiful  as 
she  appeared  that  night.  Possibly  she  never  had  displayed 
so  many  engaging  qualities  to  her  father ;  for  concern  on 
his  account  had  begun  to  be  active  in  her  breast,  and  then 
her  sympathies  met  with  unusual  encouragement  through 
those  which  had  been  stirred  up  in  the  sterner  bosom  of 
the  veteran.  She  had  never  been  entirely  at  her  ease  with 
her  parent,  the  great  superiority  of  her  education  creating 
a  sort  of  chasm,  which  had  been  widened  by  the  military 
severity  of  manner  he  had  acquired  by  dealing  so  long  and 
intimately  with  beings  who  could  only  be  kept  in  subjection 
by  an  unremitted  discipline.  On  the  present  occasion, 
however,  or  after  they  were  left  alone,  the  conversation 
between  the  father  and  daughter  became  more  confiden- 
tial than  usual,  until  Mabel  rejoiced  to  find  that  it  was 
gradually  becoming  endearing ;  a  state  of  feeling  that  the 
warm-hearted  girl  had  silently  pined  for  in  vain,  ever  since 
her  arrival. 

"Then,  mother  was  about  my  height?"  Mabel  said,  as 
she  held  one  of  her  father's  hands  in  both  her  own,  looking 
up  into  his  face  with  humid  eyes.  ' '  I  had  thought  her 
taller." 

"  This  is  the  way  with  most  children,  who  get  a  habit  of 
thinking  of  their  parents  with  respect,  until  they  fancy 
them  larger  and  more  commanding  than  they  actually  are. 
Your  mother,  Mabel,  was  as  near  your  height  as  one  woman 
could  be  to  another." 

"  And  her  eyes,  father  ?  " 

"Her  eyes  were  like  thine,  child,  too— blue  and  soft, 
and  inviting  like  ;  though  hardly  so  laughing." 

"Mine  will  never  laugh  again,  dearest  father,  if  you  do 
not  take  care  of  yourself  in  this  expedition." 

"Thank  you,  Mabel— hem— thank  you,  child;  but  I 
must  do  my  duty.  I  wish  I  had  seen  you  comfortably 
married  before  we  left  Oswego!— my  mind  would  be 
easier," 


Ube  patbffn&er  329 


"  Married  !  to  whom,  father?  " 

' '  You  know  the  man  I  wish  you  to  love.  You  may  meet 
with  many  gayer,  and  many  dressed  in  finer  clothes,  but  with 
none  with  so  true  a  heart  and  just  a  mind." 

"None,  father?" 

' '  I  know  of  none ;  in  these  particulars  Pathfinder  has  few 
equals,  at  least." 

"  But  I  need  not  marry  at  all.  You  are  single,  and  I  can 
remain  to  take  care  of  you  ' ' 

"  God  bless  you,  Mabel  !  I  know  you  would,  and  I  do 
not  say  that  the  feeling  is  not  right,  for  I  suppose  it  is  ;  and 
yet  I  believe  there  is  another  that  is  more  so." 

"What  can  be  more  right  than  to  honor  one's  parents  ?  " 

"It  is  just  as  right  to  honor  one's  husband,  my  dear 
child." 

' '  But  I  have  no  husband,  father. ' ' 

' '  Then  take  one  as  soon  as  possible,  that  you  may  have  a 
husband  to  honor.  I  cannot  live  forever,  Mabel,  but  must 
drop  off  in  the  course  of  nature  ere  long,  if  I  am  not  carried 
off  in  the  course  of  war.  You  are  young,  and  may  yet  live 
long  ;  and  it  is  proper  that  you  should  have  a  male  protector, 
who  can  see  you  safe  through  life,  and  take  care  of  you  in 
age  as  you  now  wish  to  take  care  of  me. ' ' 

' '  And  do  you  think,  father, ' ' — said  Mabel,  playing  with  his 
sinewy  fingers  with  her  own  little  hands,  and  looking  down  at 
them  as  if  they  were  subjects  of  intense  interest,  though  her 
lips  curled  in  a  slight  smile  as  the  words  came  from  them — 
"  and  do  you  think,  father,  that  Pathfinder  is  just  the  man 
to  do  this  ?  Is  he  not  within  ten  or  twelve  years  as  old  as 
yourself?" 

' '  What  of  that  ?  His  life  had  been  one  of  moderation  and 
exercise,  and  years  are  less  to  be  counted,  girl,  than  con- 
stitution. Do  you  know  another  more  likely  to  be  your 
protector  ? ' ' 

Mabel  did  not ;  at  least  another  who  had  expressed  a  de- 
sire to  that  effect,  whatever  might  have  been  her  hopes  and 
her  wishes. 

' '  Nay,  father,  we  are  not  talking  of  another,  but  of  the 
Pathfinder, ' '  she  answered  evasively.  "  If  he  were  youngei, 


33o  Ube  jpatbfinfcer 


I  think  it  would  be  more  natural  for  me  to  think  of  him  for 
a  husband. ' ' 

"  '  Tis  all  in  the  constitution,  I  tell  you,  child :  Pathfinder 
is  a  younger  man  than  half  our  subalterns." 

"He  is  certainly  younger  than  one,  sir — Lieutenant 
Muir." 

Mabel's  laugh  was  joyous  and  light-hearted,  as  if  just  then 
she  felt  no  care. 

"That  he  is — young  enough  to  be  his  grandson;  he  is 
younger  in  years,  too.  God  forbid,  Mabel,  that  you  should 
ever  become  an  officer's  lady,  at  least  until  you  are  an 
officer's  daughter." 

"There  will  be  little  fear  of  that,  father,  if  I  marry  Path- 
finder ! ' '  returned  the  girl,  looking  up  archly  in  the  ser- 
geant's face  again. 

"Not  by  the  king's  commission,  perhaps,  though  the  man 
is  even  now  the  friend  and  companion  of  generals.  I  think 
I  could  die  happy,  Mabel,  if  you  were  his  wife." 

"Father!" 

"  '  T  is  a  sad  thing  to  go  into  battle  with  the  weight  of  an 
unprotected  daughter  laid  upon  the  heart." 

' '  I  would  give  the  world  to  lighten  yours  of  its  load,  my 
dear  sir  !  " 

' '  It  might  be  done, ' '  said  the  sergeant,  looking  fondly  at 
his  child,  "though  I  could  not  wish  to  put  a  burden  on 
yours  in  order  to  do  so." 

The  voice  was  deep  and  tremulous,  and  never  before  had 
Mabel  witnessed  such  a  show  of  affection  in  her  parent. 
The  habitual  sternness  of  the  man  lent  an  interest  to  his 
emotions  that  they  might  otherwise  have  wanted,  and  the 
daughter's  heart  yearned  to  relieve  the  father's  mind. 

"  Father,  speak  plainly,"  she  cried,  almost  convulsively. 

"Nay,  Mabel,  it  might  not  be  right — your  wishes  and 
mine  may  be  very  different." 

"  I  have  no  wishes — know  nothing  of  what  you  mean  ; 
would  you  speak  of  my  future  marriage  ?  " 

"  If  I  could  see  you  promised  to  Pathfinder — know  that 
you  were  pledged  to  become  his  wife,  let  my  own  fate  be 
what  it  might,  I  think  I  could  die  happy.  But  I  will  ask 


jpatbfin&er  33  \ 


no  pledge  of  you,  my  child — I  will  not  force  you  to  dc 
what  you  might  repent.  Kiss  me,  Mabel,  and  go  to  your 
bed." 

Had  Sergeant  Dunham  exacted  of  Mabel  the  pledge  that  he 
really  so  much  desired,  he  would  have  encountered  a  resist- 
ance that  he  might  have  found  difficult  to  overcome,  but,  by 
letting  nature  have  its  course,  he  enlisted  a  powerful  ally  on 
his  side,  and  the  warm-hearted,  generous-minded  Mabel 
was  ready  to  concede  to  her  affections,  much  more  than  she 
would  ever  have  yielded  to  menace.  At  that  touching  mo- 
ment she  thought  only  of  her  parent,  who  was  about  to  quit 
her,  perhaps  forever ;  and  all  of  that  ardent  love  for  him, 
which  had  possibly  been  as  much  fed  by  the  imagination  as 
by  anything  else,  but  which  had  received  a  little  check  by 
the  restrained  intercourse  of  the  last  fortnight,  now  returned 
with  a  force  that  was  increased  by  pure  and  intense  feeling. 
Her  father  seemed  all  in  all  to  her  ;  and  to  render  him  happy, 
there  was  no  proper  sacrifice  that  she  was  not  ready  to 
make.  One  painful,  rapid,  almost  wild  gleam  of  thought 
shot  across  the  brain  of  the  girl,  and  her  resolution  wavered  ; 
but  endeavoring  to  trace  the  foundation  of  the  pleasing  hope 
on  which  it  was  based,  she  found  nothing  positive  to  support 
it.  Trained  like  a  woman,  to  subdue  her  most  ardent  feel- 
ings, her  thoughts  reverted  to  her  father,  and  to  the  bless- 
ings that  awaited  the  child  who  yielded  to  a  parent's 
wishes. 

"Father,"  she  said  quietly,  almost  with  a  holy  calm, 
"  God  blesses  the  dutiful  daughter  !  " 

"  He  will,  Mabel ;  we  have  the  Good  Book  for  that." 

' '  I  will  marry  whomsoever  you  desire. ' ' 

"Nay,  nay,  Mabel — you  may  have  a  choice  of  your 
own — ' ' 

' '  I  have  no  choice — that  is — none  have  asked  me  to  have 
a  choice,  but  Pathfinder  and  Mr.  Muir  ;  and  between  them, 
neither  of  us  would  hesitate.  No,  father,  I  will  marry 
whomsoever  you  may  choose." 

"  Thou  knowest  my  choice,  beloved  girl ;  none  other  can 
make  thee  as  happy  as  the  noble-hearted  guide." 

"Well,   then,   if  he  wish  it — if  he  ask  me  again — for, 


332  Ube  jpatbfinfcer 


father,  you  would  not  have  me  offer  myself,  or  that  any  one 
should  do  that  office  for  me,"— and  the  blood  stole  across 
the  pallid  cheeks  of  Mabel,  as  she  spoke,  for  high  and  gen- 
erous resolutions  had  driven  back  the  stream  of  life  to  her 
heart, — "  no  one  must  speak  to  him  of  it ;  but  if  he  seek  me 
again,  and,  knowing  all  that  a  true  girl  ought  to  tell  the 
man  she  marries,  and  he  then  wishes  to  make  me  his  wife, 
I  will  be  his." 

"Bless  you,  my  Mabel — God  in  heaven  bless  you,  and 
reward  you  as  a  pious  daughter  deserves  to  be  rewarded." 

"Yes,  father,  put  your  mind  at  peace  ;  go  on  this  expedi- 
tion with  a  light  heart,  and  trust  in  God.  For  me,  you  will 
have  now  no  care.  In  the  spring — I  must  have  a  little  time, 
father— but,  in  the  spring,  I  will  marry  Pathfinder,  if  that 
noble-hearted  hunter  shall  then  desire  it. ' ' 

"Mabel,  he  loves  you  as  I  loved  your  mother.  I  have 
seen  him  weep  like  a  child,  when  speaking  of  his  feelings 
towards  you." 

"Yes,  I  believe  it;  I've  seen  enough  to  satisfy  me  that 
he  thinks  better  of  me  than  I  deserve ;  and  certainly  the 
man  is  not  living  for  whom  I  have  more  respect  than  for 
Pathfinder;  not  even  for  you,  dear  father." 

"That  is  as  it  should  be,  child,  and  the  union  will  be 
blessed.  May  I  not  tell  Pathfinder  this  ? ' ' 

' '  I  would  rather  you  would  not,  father.  Let  it  come  of 
itself — come  naturally  ;  the  man  should  seek  the  woman, 
and  not  the  woman  the  man — "  The  smile  that  illuminated 
Mabel's  handsome  face  was  angelic,  as  even  her  parent 
thought,  though  one  better  practised  in  detecting  the  pass- 
ing emotions,  as  they  betray  themselves  in  the  countenance, 
might  have  traced  something  wild  and  unnatural  in  it. 
"  No,  no,  we  must  let  things  take  their  course  ;  father,  you 
have  my  solemn  promise." 

"That  will  do — that  will  do,  Mabel ;  now  kiss  me  ;  God 
bless  and  protect  you,  girl ;  you  are  a  good  daughter." 

Mabel  threw  herself  into  her  father's  arms, — it  was  the 
first  time  in  her  life, — and  sobbed  on  his  bosom  like  an 
infant.  The  stern  old  soldier's  heart  was  melted,  and  the 
tears  of  the  two  mingled;  but  Sergeant  Dunham  soon 


f>atbffnt>er 


333 


started,  as  if  ashamed  of  himself,  and  gently  forcing  his 
daughter  from  him,  he  bade  her  good-night,  and  sought  his 
pallet.  Mabel  went  sobbing  to  the  rude  corner  that  had 
been  prepared  for  her  reception,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the 
hut  was  undisturbed  by  any  sound,  save  the  heavy  breath- 
ing of  the  veteran. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

"  Wandering,  I  found  on  my  ruinous  walk 

By  the  dial  stone,  aged  and  green, 
One  rose  of  the  -wilderness  left  on  its  stalk, 
To  mark  -where  a  garden  had  been." 

CAMPBEU,. 

IT  was  not  only  broad  daylight  when  Mabel  awoke,  but 
the  sun  had  actually  been  up  some  time.  Her  sleep 
had  been  tranquil,  for  she  rested  on  an  approving 
conscience,  and  fatigue  contributed  to  render  it  sweet ; 
and  no  sound  of  those  who  had  been  so  early  in  motion  had 
interfered  with  her  rest.  Springing  to  her  feet,  and  rapidly 
dressing  herself,  the  girl  was  soon  breathing  the  fragrance 
of  the  morning,  in  the  open  air.  For  the  first  time  she  was 
sensibly  struck  with  the  singular  beauties  as  well  as  with 
the  profound  retirement  of  her  present  situation.  The  day 
proved  to  be  one  of  those  of  the  autumnal  glory  so  common 
to  a  climate  that  is  more  abused  than  appreciated,  and  its 
influence  was  in  every  way  inspiriting  and  genial.  Mabel 
was  benefited  by  this  circumstance,  for,  as  she  fancied,  her 
heart  was  heavy  on  account  of  the  dangers  to  which  a 
father,  whom  she  now  began  to  love,  as  women  love  when 
confidence  is  created,  was  about  to  be  exposed. 

But  the  island  seemed  absolutely  deserted.  The  previous 
night,  the  bustle  of  the  arrival  had  given  the  spot  an  ap- 
pearance of  life  that  was  now  entirely  gone;  and  our 
heroine  had  turned  her  eyes  nearly  around  on  every  object 
in  sight,  before  she  caught  a  view  of  a  single  human  being 
to  remove  the  sense  of  utter  solitude.  Then,  indeed,  she 
beheld  all  who  were  left  behind,  collected  in  a  group, 
334 


ZTbe 


335 


around  a  fire  which  might  be  said  to  belong  to  the  camp. 
The  person  of  her  uncle,  to  whom  she  was  so  much  accus- 
tomed, reassured  the  girl,  and  she  examined  the  remainder 
with  a  curiosity  natural  to  her  situation.  Besides  Cap  and 
the  quartermaster,  there  were  the  corporal,  the  three  sol- 
diers, and  the  woman  who  was  cooking.  The  huts  were 
silent  and  empty,  and  the  low,  but  tower-like  summit  of  the 
block-house  rose  above  the  bushes,  by  which  it  was  half 
concealed,  in  picturesque  beauty.  The  sun  was  just  casting 
its  brightness  into  the  open  places  of  the  glade,  and  the 
vault,  over  her  head,  was  impending  in  the  soft  sublimity 
of  the  blue  void.  Not  a  cloud  was  visible,  and  she  secretly 
fancied  the  circumstance  might  be  taken  as  a  harbinger  of 
peace  and  security. 

Perceiving  that  all  the  others  were  occupied  with  that 
great  concern  of  human  nature,  a  breakfast,  Mabel  walked 
unobserved  towards  an  end  of  the  island,  where  she  was 
completely  shut  out  of  view  by  the  trees  and  bushes.  Here 
she  got  a  stand  on  the  very  edge  of  the  water,  by  forcing 
aside  the  low  branches,  and  stood  watching  the  barely  per- 
ceptible flow  and  re-flow  of  the  miniature  waves  that  laved 
the  shore ;  a  sort  of  physical  echo  to  the  agitation  that 
prevailed  on  the  lake  fifty  miles  above  her.  The  glimpses 
of  natural  scenery  that  offered,  were  very  soft  and  pleasing  ; 
and  our  heroine,  who  had  a  quick  and  true  eye  for  all  that 
was  lovely  in  nature,  was  not  slow  in  selecting  the  most 
striking  bits  of  landscape.  She  gazed  through  the  different 
vistas  formed  by  the  openings  between  the  islands,  and 
thought  she  had  never  looked  on  aught  more  lovely. 

While  thus  occupied,  Mabel  was  suddenly  alarmed  by 
fancying  that  she  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  human  form  among 
the  bushes  that  lined  the  shore  of  the  island  that  lay  directly 
before  her.  The  distance  across  the  water  was  not  a  hun- 
dred yards ;  and  though  she  might  be  mistaken,  and  her 
fancy  was  wandering  when  the  form  passed  before  her  sight, 
still  she  did  not  think  she  could  be  deceived.  Aware  that 
her  sex  would  be  no  protection  against  a  rifle-bullet,  should 
an  Iroquois  get  a  view  of  her,  the  girl  instinctively  drew 
back,  taking  care  to  conceal  her  person  as  much  as  possible 


336  Ube  jpatbfinber 


by  the  leaves,  while  she  kept  her  own  look  riveted  on  the 
opposite  shore,  vainly  waiting  for  some  time  in  the  expecta- 
tion of  the  stranger.  She  was  about  to  quit  her  post  in  the 
bushes,  and  hasten  to  her  uncle  in  order  to  acquaint  him  with 
her  suspicions,  when  she  saw  the  branch  of  an  alder  thrust 
beyond  the  bushes,  on  the  other  island,  and  waved  towards 
her  significantly,  and,  as  she  fancied,  in  token  of  amity. 
This  was  a  breathless  and  a  trying  moment,  to  one  as  inex- 
perienced in  frontier  warfare  as  our  heroine,  and  yet  she  felt 
the  great  necessity  that  existed  for  preserving  her  recollec- 
tion, and  of  acting  with  steadiness  and  discretion. 

It  was  one  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  exposure  to  which 
those  who  dwelt  on  the  frontiers  of  America  were  liable  to 
bring  out  the  moral  qualities  of  the  women  to  a  degree  that 
they  must  themselves,  under  other  circumstances,  have 
believed  they  were  incapable  of  manifesting ;  and  Mabel 
well  knew  that  the  borderers  loved  to  dwell,  in  their 
legends,  on  the  presence  of  mind,  fortitude,  and  spirit,  that 
their  wives  and  sisters  had  displayed,  under  circumstances 
the  most  trying.  Her  emulation  had  been  awakened  by 
what  she  had  heard  on  such  subjects  ;  and  it  at  once  struck 
her,  that  now  was  the  moment  for  her  to  show  that  she  was 
\  truly  Sergeant  Dunham's  child.  The  motion  of  the  branch 
I  was  such  as,  she  believed,  indicated  amity ;  and,  after  a 
moment's  hesitation,  she  broke  off  a  twig,  fastened  it  to  a 
stick,  and,  thrusting  it  through  an  opening,  waved  it  in  re- 
turn, imitating,  as  closely  as  possible,  the  manner  of  the 
other. 

This  dumb  show  lasted  two  or  three  minutes  on  both 
sides,  when  Mabel  perceived  that  the  bushes  opposite  were 
cautiously  pushed  aside,  and  a  human  face  appeared  at  an 
opening.  A  glance  sufficed  to  let  Mabel  see  that  it  was  the 
countenance  of  a  redskin,  as  well  as  that  of  a  woman.  A 
second  and  a  better  look  satisfied  her  that  it  was  the  face  of 
the  Dew-of-June,  the  wife  of  Arrowhead.  During  the  time 
she  had  travelled  in  company  with  this  woman,  Mabel  had 
been  won  by  the  gentleness  of  manner,  the  meek  simplicity, 
and  the  mingled  awe  and  affection  with  which  she  regarded 
her  husband.  Once  or  twice,  in  the  course  of  the  journey, 


ZTbe  patMnfcer  33y 

she  fancied  the  Tuscarora  had  manifested  towards  herself 
an  unpleasant  degree  of  attention ;  and  on  those  occasions 
it  had  struck  her  that  his  wife  exhibited  sorrow  and  mortifi- 
cation. As  Mabel,  however,  had  more  than  compensated 
for  any  pain  she  might,  in  this  way,  unintentionally  have 
caused  her  companion,  by  her  own  kindness  of  manner  and 
attentions,  the  woman  had  shown  much  attachment  to  her, 
and  they  had  parted,  with_a  deep  conviction  on  the  mind 
of  our  heroine,  that  in  ^hey  Dew-of-June  s^e  had  lost  a 
friend.  "-  ^ *.*£ 

It  is  useless  to  attempt  to  analyze  all  the  ways  by  which 
the  human  heart  is  led  into  confidence.  Such  a  feeling, 
however,  had  the  young  Tuscarora  woman  awakened  in  the 
breast  of  our  heroine  ;  and  the  latter,  under  the  impression 
that  this  extraordinary  visit  was  intended  for  her  own  good, 
felt  every  disposition  to  have  a  closer  communication.  She 
no  longer  hesitated  about  showing  herself  clear  of  the 
bushes,  and  was  not  sorry  to  see  xthe  Dew-of-June  imitate 
her  confidence,  by  stepping  fearlessly  out  of  her  own  cover. 
The  two  girls,  for  the  Tuscarora,  though  married,  was  even 
younger  than  Mabel,  now  openly  exchanged  signs  of  friend- 
ship, and  the  latter  beckoned  to  her  friend  to  approach, 
though  she  knew  not  the  manner,  herself,  in  which  this 
object  could  be  effected.  But  the  Dew-of-June  was  not 
slow  in  letting  it  be  seen  that  it  was  in  her  power ;  for, 
disappearing  a  moment,  she  soon  showed  herself  again  in 
the  end  of  a  bark  canoe,  the  bows  of  which  she  had  drawn 
to  the  edge  of  the  bushes,  and  of  which  the  body  still  lay 
in  a  sort  of  covered  creek.  Mabel  was  about  to  invite  her 
to  cross,  when  her  own  name  was  called  aloud,  in  the  sten- 
torian voice  of  her  uncle.  Making  a  hurried  gesture  for  the 
Tuscarora  girl  to  conceal  herself,  Mabel  sprang  from  the 
bushes,  and  tripped  up  the  glade  towards  the  sounds,  and 
perceived  that  the  whole  party  had  just  seated  themselves 
at  breakfast ;  Cap  having  barely  put  his  appetite  under 
sufficient  restraint  to  summon  her  to  join  them.  That  this 
was  the  most  favorable  instant  for  the  interview  flashed  on 
the  mind  of  Mabel  ;  and,  excusing  herself  on  the  plea  of 
not  being  prepared  for  the  meal,  she  bounded  back  to  the 


33s 


thicket,  and   soon   renewed  her   communications  with  the 
young  Indian  woman. 

Dew-of-June  was  quick  of  comprehension  ;  and  with  half 
a  dozen  noiseless  strokes  of  the  paddles,  her  canoe  was  con- 
cealed in  the  bushes  of  Station  Island.  In  another  minute, 
Mabel  held  her  hand,  and  was  leading  her  through  the  grove 
towards  her  own  hut.  Fortunately,  the  latter  was  so  placed 
as  to  be  completely  hidden  from  the  sight  of  those  at  the 
fire,  and  they  both  entered  it  unseen.  Hastily  explaining  to 
her  guest,  in  the  best  manner  she  could,  the  necessity  of 
quitting  her  for  a  short  time,  Mabel,  first  placing  the  Dew- 
of-June  in  her  own  room,  with  a  full  certainty  that  she 
would  not  quit  it  until  told  to  do  so,  went  to  the  fire,  and 
took  her  seat  among  the  rest,  with  all  the  composure  it  was 
in  her  power  to  command. 

"  I^ate  come,  late  served,  Mabel,"  said  her  uncle,  between 
two  mouthfuls  of  broiled  salmon,  for  though  the  cookery 
might  be  very  unsophisticated  on  that  remote  frontier,  the 
viands  were  generally  delicious  ;  ' '  late  come,  late  served  : 
it  is  a  good  rule,  and  keeps  laggards  up  to  their  work." 

' '  I  am  no  laggard,  uncle,  for  I  have  been  stirring  near  an 
hour,  and  exploring  our  island. ' ' 

"It's  little  you '11  make  o'  that,  Mistress  Mabel,"  put  in 
Muir,  "  that 's  little  by  nature.     I^undie,  or  it  might  be  bet- 
ter to  style  him  Major  Duncan  in  this  presence  " — this  was 
said  in  consideration  of  the  corporal  and  the  common  men, 
though  they  were  taking  their  meal  a  little  apart — "  it  might 
be  better  to  style  him  Major  Duncan  in  this  presence,  has 
not  added  an  empire  to  his  majesty's  dominions  in  getting 
A  possession  of  this  island,  which  is  likely  to  equal  that  of  the 
jjl  celebrated  Sancho,  in  revenues  and  profits — Sancho  of  whom, 
If  doubtless,  Master  Cap,  you'll  often  have  been  reading  in 
your  leisure  hours,  more  especially  in  calms,  and  moments 
of  inactivity." 

"I  know  the  spot  you  mean,  quartermaster;  Sancho' s 
Island— coral  rock,  of  new  formation,  and  as  bad  a  land-fall, 
in  a  dark  night  and  blowing  weather,  as  a  sinner  could  wish 
to  keep  clear  of.  It 's  a  famous  place  for  cocoa-nuts  and 
bitter  water,  that  Sancho' s  Island  !  " 


TTbe  patbtmfcer  339 


"It's  no  very  famous  for  dinners,"  returned  Muir,  re- 
pressing the  smile  that  was  struggling  to  his  lips,  out  of 
respect  to  Mabel,  "nor  do  I  think  there'll  be  much  to 
choose  between  its  revenue  and  that  of  this  spot.  In  my 
judgment,  Master  Cap,  this  is  a  very  unmilitary  position, 
and  I  look  to  some  calamity's  befalling  it,  sooner  or  later." 

"It  is  to  be  hoped  not  until  our  turn  of  duty  is  over," 
observed  Mabel.  "  I  have  no  wish  to  study  the  French 
language." 

' '  We  might  think  ourselves  happy,  did  it  not  prove  to  be 
the  Iroquois.  I  have  reasoned  with  Major  Duncan  on  the 
occupation  of  this  position,  but  '  A  wilfu'  man  maun  ha'  his 
way.'  My  first  object,  in  accompanying  this  party,  was  to 
endeavor  to  make  myself  acceptable  and  useful  to  youi 
beautiful  niece,  Master  Cap ;  and  the  second  was  to  take 
such  an  account  of  the  stores  that  belong  to  my  particular 
department,  as  shall  leave  no  question  open  to  controversy, 
concerning  the  manner  of  expenditure,  when  they  shall  have 
disappeared  by  means  of  the  enemy." 

"Do  you  look  upon  matters  as  so  serious?"  demanded 
Cap,  actually  suspending  his  mastication  of  a  bit  of  venison, 
for  he  passed  alternately,  like  a  modern  elegant,  from  fish  to 
flesh  and  back  again,  in  the  interest  he  took  in  the  answer. 
' '  Is  the  danger  pressing  ? ' ' 

"  I  '11  no  say  just  that ;  and  I  '11  no  say  just  the  contrary. 
There  is  always  danger  in  war,  and  there  is  more  of  it  at  the 
advanced  posts  than  at  the  main  encampment.  It  ought, 
therefore,  to  occasion  no  surprise  were  we  to  be  visited  by 
the  French  at  any  moment." 

' '  And  what  the  devil  is  to  be  done  in  that  case  ?  Six 
men  and  two  women  would  make  but  a  poor  job  in  defend- 
ing such  a  place  as  this,  should  the  enemy  invade  us,  as  no 
doubt,  Frenchman-like,  they  would  take  very  good  care  to 
come  strong-handed." 

"  That  we  may  depend  on.  Some  very  formidable  force, 
at  the  very  lowest.  A  military  disposition  might  be  made, 
in  defence  of  the  island,  out  of  all  question,  and  according 
to  the  art  of  war,  though  we  would  probably  fail  in  the  force 
necessary  to  carry  out  the  design,  in  any  very  creditable 


34o  Ube  ipatbffnOer 


manner.  In  the  first  place,  a  detachment  should  be  sent 
off  to  the  shore,  with  orders  to  annoy  the  enemy  in  landing. 
A  strong  party  ought  instantly  to  be  thrown  into  the  block- 
house, as  the  citadel,  for  on  that  all  the  different  detach- 
ments would  naturally  fall  back  for  support,  as  the  French 
advanced  ;  and  an  entrenched  camp  might  be  laid  out  around 
the  stronghold,  as  it  would  be  very  unmilitary  indeed  to  let 
the  foe  get  near  enough  to  the  foot  of  the  walls  to  mine 
them.  Chevaux-de-frise  would  keep  the  cavalry  in  check, 
and  as  for  the  artillery,  redoubts  should  be  thrown  up,  un- 
der cover  of  yon  woods.  Strong  skirmishing  parties, 
moreover,  would  be  exceedingly  serviceable  in  retarding  the 
march  of  the  enemy ;  and  these  different  huts,  if  properly 
picketed  and  ditched,  would  be  converted  into  very  eligible 
positions  for  that  object." 

"Whe-e-w!   quartermaster.     And  who  the  d 1  is  to 

find  all  the  men  to  carry  out  such  a  plan  ?  ' ' 

"The  king,  out  of  all  question,  Master  Cap.  It  is  his 
quarrel,  and  it 's  just  he  should  bear  the  burden  o'  it. 

"And  we  are  only  six  !  This  is  fine  talking,  with  a 
vengeance.  You  could  be  sent  down  to  the  shore  to  oppose 
the  landing,  Mabel  might  skirmish  with  her  tongue  at  least, 
the  soldier's  wife  might  act  chevaux-de-frise,  to  entangle  the 
cavalry,  the  corporal  should  command  the  entrenched  camp, 
his  three  men  could  occupy  the  five  huts,  and  I  would  take 
the  block-house.  Whe-e-e-w,  you  describe  well,  lieutenant, 
and  should  have  been  a  limner  instead  of  a  soldier  !  " 

"  Na — I've  been  very  literal  and  upright  in  my  exposi- 
tion of  matters.  That  there  is  no  greater  force  here  to 
carry  out  the  plan  is  a  fault  of  his  majesty's  ministers,  and 
none  of  mine." 

"  But  should  our  enemy  really  appear,"  asked  Mabel,  with 
more  interest  than  she  might  have  shown  had  she  not 
remembered  the  guest  in  the,  hut,  "what  course  ought  we 
to  pursue?" 

"My  advice  would  be  to  attempt  to  achieve  that,  pretty 
Mabel,  which  rendered  Xenophon  so  justly  celebrated." 

"  I  think  you  mean  a  retreat,  though  I  half  guess  at  your 
allusion." 


ZTbe 


34i 


"You  've  imagined  my  meaning  from  the  possession  of  a 
strong  native  sense,  young  lady.  I  am  aware  that  your 
worthy  father  has  pointed  out  to  the  corporal  certain  modes 
and  methods  by  which  he  fancies  this  island  could  be  held  in 
case  the  French  should  discover  its  position  ;  but  the  excel- 
lent sergeant,  though  your  father,  and  as  good  a  man  in  his 
duties  as  ever  wielded  a  spontoon,  is  not  the  great  L,ord  Stair, 
or  even  the  Duke  of  Marlborough.  I  '11  no  deny  the  ser- 
geant's merits  in  his  particular  sphere,  though  I  cannot 
exaggerate  qualities,  however  excellent,  into  those  of  men 
who  may  be,  in  some  trifling  degree,  his  superiors.  Sergeant 
Dunham  has  taken  counsel  of  his  heart  instead  of  his  head, 
in  resolving  to  issue  such  orders  ;  but  if  the  fort  fall  the 
blame  will  lie  on  him  that  ordered  it  to  be  occupied,  and  not 
on  him  whose  duty  it  was  to  defend  it.  Whatever  may  be 
the  determination  of  the  latter,  should  the  French  and  their 
allies  land,  a  good  commander  never  neglects  the  prepara- 
tions necessary  to  effect  a  retreat ;  and  I  would  advise  Mas- 
ter Cap,  who  is  the  admiral  of  our  navy,  to  have  a  boat  in 
readiness  to  evacuate  the  island  if  need  comes  to  need.  The 
largest  boat  that  we  have  left  carries  a  very  ample  sail  and  by 
hauling  it  round  here  and  mooring  it  under  those  bushes 
there  will  be  a  convenient  place  for  a  hurried  embarkation, 
and  then  you  '11  perceive,  pretty  Mabel,  that  it  is  scarce  fifty 
yards  before  we  shall  be  in  a  channel  between  two  other 
islands,  and  hid  from  the  sight  of  those  who  may  happen  to 
be  on  this." 

"  All  that  you  say  is  very  true,  Mr.  Muir  ;  but  may  not 
the  French  come  from  that  quarter  themselves  ?  If  it  is  so 
good  for  a  retreat,  it  is  equally  good  for  an  advance. ' ' 

"They '11  no  have  the  sense  to  do  so  discreet  a  thing," 
returned  Muir,  looking  furtively  and  a  little  uneasily  around 
him;  "  they '11  no  have  sufficient  discretion.  Your  French 
are  a  head-over-heels  nation,  and  usually  come  forward  in  a 
random  way  ;  so  we  may  look  for  them,  if  they  come  at  all, 
on  the  other  side  of  the  island." 

The  discourse  now  became  exceedingly  desultory,  touch- 
ing principally,  however,  on  the  probabilities  of  an  invasion 
and  the  best  means  of  meeting  it. 


342  Ube  jpatbfinfcer 


To  most  of  this  Mabel  paid  but  little  attention,  though  she 
felt  some  surprise  that  Lieutenant  Muir,  an  officer  whose 
character  for  courage  stood  well,  should  openly  recommend 
an  abandonment  of  what  appeared  to  her  to  be  doubly  a 
duty,  her  father's  character  being  connected  with  the  defence 
of  the  island.  Her  mind,  however,  was  so  much  occupied 
with  her  guest  that,  seizing  the  first  favorable  moment,  she 
left  the  table  and  was  soon  in  her  own  hut  again.  Carefully 
fastening  the  door,  and  seeing  that  the  simple  curtain  was 
drawn  before  the  single  little  window,  Mabel  next  led  the 
Dew-of-June,  or  June,  as  she  was  familiarly  termed  by  those 
who  spoke  to  her  in  English,  into  the  outer  room,  making 
signs  of  affection  and  confidence. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  June,"  said  Mabel,  with  one  of 
her  sweetest  smiles,  and  in  her  own  winning  voice  ;  "  very 
glad  to  see  you — what  has  brought  you  hither,  and  how  did 
you  discover  the  island  ?  " 

"Talk  slow,"  said  June,  returning  smile  for  smile,  and 
pressing  the  little  hand  she  held  with  one  of  her  own,  that 
was  scarcely  larger,  though  it  had  been  hardened  by  labor, 
"more  slow — too  quick." 

Mabel  repeated  her  questions,  endeavoring  to  repress  the 
impetuosity  of  her  feelings,  and  she  succeeded  in  speaking  so 
distinctly  as  to  be  understood. 

"June,  friend,"  returned  the  Indian  woman. 

"  I  believe  you,  June — from  my  soul  I  believe  you  ;  what 
has  this  to  do  with  your  visit  ?  ' ' 

"  Friend  come  to  see  friend,"  answered  June,  again  smil- 
ing openly  in  the  other's  face. 

"There  is  some  other  reason,  June  ;  else  would  you  never 
run  this  risk,  alone  ;  you  are  alone,  June?  " 

"June  wid  you — no  one  else.  June  come  alone,  paddle 
canoe." 

"  I  hope  so— I  think  so— nay,  I  know  so.  You  would  not 
be  treacherous  with  me,  June  ?  " 

"  What  treacherous  ? ' ' 

"You  would  not  betray  me— would  not  give  me  to  the 
French— to  the  Iroquois— to  Arrowhead"— June  shook  her 
head  earnestly — "  you  would  not  sell  my  scalp  ?  " 


patbffnfcer  343 


Here  June  passed  her  arm  fondly  around  the  slender  waist 
of  Mabel,  and  pressed  her  to  her  heart,  with  a  tenderness 
and  affection  that  brought  tears  into  the  eyes  of  our  heroine. 
It  was  done  in  the  fond,  caressing  manner  of  a  woman,  and 
it  was  scarcely  possible  that  it  should  not  obtain  credit  for 
sincerity,  with  a  young  and  ingenuous  person  of  the  same 
sex.  Mabel  returned  the  pressure,  and  then  held  the  other 
off  at  the  length  of  her  arm,  looking  her  steadily  in  the  face, 
and  continued  her  inquiries. 

' '  If  June  has  something  to  tell  her  friend,  let  her  speak 
plainly,"  she  said.  "  My  ears  are  open." 

"June  'fraid  Arrowhead  kill  her." 

"But  Arrowhead  will  never  know  it."  Mabel's  blood 
mounted  to  her  temples,  as  she  said  this ;  for  she  felt  that 
she  was  urging  a  wife  to  be  treacherous  to  her  husband. 
"  That  is,  Mabel  will  not  tell  him." 

"  He  bury  tomahawk  in  June's  head." 

' '  That  must  never  be,  dear  June ;  I  would  rather  you 
should  say  no  more  than  run  this  risk." 

"  Block-house  good  place  to  sleep — good  place  to  stay." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  I  may  save  my  life  by  keeping  in  the 
block-house,  June?  Surely,  surely,  Arrowhead  will  not 
hurt  you  for  telling  me  that.  He  cannot  wish  me  any  great 
harm,  for  I  never  injured  him." 

"  Arrowhead  wish  no  harm  to  handsome  pale-face,"  re- 
turned June,  averting  her  face,  and,  though  she  always  spoke 
in  the  soft,  gentle  voice  of  an  Indian  girl,  permitting  its 
notes  to  fall  so  low  as  to  cause  them  to  sound  melancholy 
and  timid  ;  "  Arrowhead  love  pale- face  girl." 

Mabel  blushed,  she  knew  not  why,  and,  for  a  moment,  her 
questions  were  repressed  by  a  feeling  of  inherent  delicacy. 
But  it  was  necessary  to  know  more,  for  her  apprehensions 
had  been  keenly  awakened,  and  she  resumed  her  inquiries. 

' '  Arrowhead  can  have  no  reason  to  love  or  to  hate  me,  ' ' 
she  said.  '  'Is  he  near  you  ? ' ' 

"  Husband  always  near  wife,  here,"  said  June,  laying  her 
hand  on  her  heart. 

' '  Excellent  creature  !  But,  tell  me,  June,  ought  I  to  keep 
in  the  block-house  to-day — this  morning — now  ? " 


344 


Ube  patbfinfcer 


"  Block-house  very  good  ;  good  for  squaw.  Block-house 
got  no  scalp. ' ' 

"  I  fear  I  understand  you  only  too  well.  Do  you  wish  to 
see  my  father?" 

"No  here  ;  gone  away." 

"  You  cannot  know  that,  June ;  you  see  the  island  is  full 
of  his  soldiers." 

"No  full ;  gone  away," — here  June  held  up  four  of  her 
fingers  ;  "so  many  red-coats." 

"And  Pathfinder — would  you  not  like  to  see  the  Path- 
finder? he  can  talk  to  you  in  the  Iroquois  tongue." 

"Tongue  gone  wid  him,"  said  June,  laughing;  "keep 
tongue  in  his  mout' . ' ' 

There  was  something  so  sweet  and  contagious  in  the 
infantile  laugh  of  the  Indian  girl,  that  Mabel  could  not  re- 
frain from  joining  in  it,  much  as  her  fears  were  aroused  by 
all  that  had  passed. 

"You  appear  to  know,  or  to  think  you  know,  all  about 
us,  June.  But,  if  Pathfinder  be  gone.  Eau-douce  can  speak 
French,  too.  You  know  Eau-douce  ;  shall  I  run  and  bring 
him  to  talk  with  you  ?  ' ' 

"Eau-douce  gone,  too,  all  but  heart;  that  there."  As 
June  said  this,  she  laughed  again,  looked  in  different  direc- 
tions, as  if  unwilling  to  confuse  the  other,  and  laid  her  hand 
on  Mabel's  bosom. 

Our  heroine  had  often  heard  of  the  wonderful  sagacity  of 
the  Indians,  and  of  the  surprising  manner  in  which  they 
noted  all  things,  while  they  appeared  to  regard  none,  but 
she  was  scarce  prepared  for  the  direction  the  discourse  had 
so  singularly  taken.  Willing  to  change  it,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  truly  anxious  to  learn  how  great  the  danger  that  im- 
pended over  them  might  really  be,  she  rose  from  the  camp- 
stool  on  which  she  had  been  seated,  and,  by  assuming  an 
attitude  of  less  affectionate  confidence,  she  hoped  to  hear 
more  of  that  she  really  desired  to  learn,  and  to  avoid 
allusions  to  that  which  she  found  so  embarrassing. 

"  You  know  how  much  or  how  little  you  ought  to  tell  me, 
June,"  she  said,  "  and  I  hope  you  love  me  well  enough  to 
give  me  the  information  I  ought  to  hear.  My  dear  uncle, 


jpatbffnfcer  345 


too,  is  on  the  island,  and  you  are,  or  ought  to  be,  his  friend, 
as  well  as  mine  ;  and  both  of  us  will  remember  your  conduct 
when  we  get  back  to  Oswego." 

' '  Maybe  never  get  back — who  know  ?  ' '  This  was  said 
doubtingly,  or  as  one  lays  down  an  uncertain  proposition, 
and  not  with  a  taunt,  or  desire  to  alarm. 

"  No  one  knows  what  will  happen,  but  God.  Our  lives 
are  in  his  hands.  Still  I  think  you  are  to  be  his  instrument 
in  saving  us." 

This  passed  June's  comprehension,  and  she  only  looked 
her  ignorance,  for  it  was  evident  she  wished  to  be  of  use. 

"Block-house  very  good,"  she  repeated,  as  soon  as  her 
countenance  ceased  to  express  uncertainty,  laying  strong 
emphasis  on  the  two  last  words. 

' '  Well,  I  understand  this,  June,  and  will  sleep  in  it  to- 
night. Of  course  I  am  to  tell  my  uncle  what  you  have 
said." 

The  Dew-of-June  started,  and  she  discovered  a  very 
manifest  uneasiness  at  the  interrogatory. 

"No,  no — no,  no,"  she  answered,  with  a  volubility  and 
vehemence  that  was  imitated  from  the  French  of  the 
Canadas,  "  no  good  to  tell  Salt- Water.  He  much  talk  and 
long  tongue.  Think  woods  all  water ;  understand  not' ing. 
Tell  Arrowhead,  and  June  die." 

"You  do  my  dear  uncle  injustice,  for  he  would  be  as 
little  likely  to  betray  you  as  any  one." 

"  No  understand.  Salt-water  got  tongue,  but  no  eye,  no 
ear,  no  nose, — not'ing  but  tongue,  tongue." 

Although  Mabel  did  not  exactly  coincide  in  this  opinion, 
she  saw  that  Cap  had  not  the  confidence  of  the  young 
Indian  woman,  and  that  it  was  idle  to  expect  she  would 
consent  to  his  being  admitted  to  their  interview. 

"You  appear  to  think  you  know  our  situation  pretty 
well,  June,"  Mabel  continued,  "  have  you  been  on  the  island 
before  this  visit  ?  ' ' 

"Just  come." 

"How,  then,  do  you  know  that  what  you  say  is  true; 
my  father,  the  Pathfinder,  and  Bau-douce,  may  all  be  here 
within  the  sound  of  my  voice,  if  I  choose  to  call  them." 


346 


"All  gone,"  said  June,  positively,  smiling  good-hu- 
moredly  at  the  same  time. 

"Nay,  this  is  more  than  you  can  say  certainly,  not 
having  been  over  the  island  to  examine  it. ' ' 

"Got  good  eyes;  see  boat  with  men  go  away — see  ship 
with  Eau-douce." 

"Then  you  have  been  some  time  watching  us;  I  think, 
however,  you  have  not  counted  them  that  remain." 

June  laughed,  held  up  her  four  fingers  again,  and  then 
pointed  to  her  two  thumbs ;  passing  a  finger  over  the  first, 
she  repeated  the  words  ' '  Red-coats, ' '  and  touching  the  last, 
she  added,  "Salt-water,"  "Quartermaster."  All  this  was 
being  very  accurate,  and  Mabel  began  to  entertain  serious 
doubts  of  the  propriety  of  her  permitting  her  visitor  to  de- 
part without  her  becoming  more  explicit.  Still  it  was  so 
repugnant  to  her  feelings  to  abuse  the  confidence  this  gentle 
and  affectionate  creature  had  evidently  reposed  in  her,  that 
Mabel  had  no  sooner  admitted  the  thought  of  summoning  her 
uncle  than  she  rejected  it,  as  unworthy  of  herself,  and  unjust 
to  her  friend.  To  aid  this  good  resolution,  too,  there  was  the 
certainty  that  June  would  reveal  nothing,  but  take  refuge  in 
a  stubborn  silence,  if  any  attempt  were  made  to  coerce  her. 

"You  think,  then,  June,"  Mabel  continued,  as  soon  as 
these  thoughts  had  passed  through  her  mind,  ' '  that  I  had 
better  live  in  the  block-house  ?  ' ' 

"Good  place  for  squaw.  Block-house  got  no  scalp. 
L,ogs  t'ick." 

"You  speak  confidently,  June,  as  if  you  had  been  in  it, 
and  had  measured  its  walls." 

June  laughed,  and  looked  knowing,  though  she  said 
nothing. 

"Does  any  one  but  yourself  know  how  to  find  this  island  ? 
have  any  of  the  Iroquois  seen  it  ?  " 

June  looked  sad,  and  she  cast  her  eyes  warily  about  her, 
as  if  distrusting  a  listener. 

"Tuscarora  everywhere— Oswego,  here,  Frontenac,  Mo- 
hawk—everywhere. If  he  see  June,  kill  her. ' ' 

"But  we  thought  that  no  one  knew  of  this  island,  and 
that  we  had  no  reason  to  fear  our  enemies  while  on  it." 


ZTbe  patbfinfcer  347 


"  Much  eye,  Iroquois." 

"  Eyes  will  not  always  do,  June.  This  spot  is  hid  from 
ordinary  sight,  and  few  of  even  our  own  people  know  how 
to  find  it." 

"  One  man  can  tell — some  Yengeese  talk  French." 

Mabel  felt  a  chill  at  her  heart.  All  the  suspicions 
against  Jasper,  which  she  had  hitherto  disdained  entertain- 
ing, crowded  in  a  body  on  her  thoughts,  and  the  sensation 
that  they  brought  was  so  sickening,  that  for  an  instant  she 
imagined  she  was  about  to  faint.  Arousing  herself,  and 
remembering  her  promise  to  her  father,  she  arose  and  walked 
up  and  down  the  hut  for  a  minute,  fancying  that  Jasper's 
delinquencies  were  naught  to  her,  though  her  inmost  heart 
yearned  with  the  desire  to  think  him  innocent. 

' '  I  understand  your  meaning,  June, ' '  she  then  said  ; 
' '  you  wish  me  to  know  that  some  one  has  treacherously  told 
your  people  where  and  how  to  find  the  island." 

June  laughed,  for  in  her  eyes  artifice  in  war  was  oftener 
a  merit  than  a  crime  ;  but  she  was  too  true  to  her  tribe  her- 
self, to  say  more  than  the  occasion  required.  Her  object 
was  to  save  Mabel,  and  Mabel  only,  and  she  saw  no  sufficient 
reason  for  ' '  travelling  out  of  the  record, ' '  as  the  lawyers 
express  it,  in  order  to  do  anything  else. 

" Pale- face  know  now,"  she  added;  "block-house  good 
for  girl — no  matter  for  men  and  warriors." 

' '  But  it  is  much  matter  with  me,  June,  for  one  of  these 
men  is  my  uncle,  whom  I  love,  and  the  others  are  my  coun- 
trymen and  friends.  I  must  tell  them  what  has  passed." 

"Then  June  be  kill,"  returned  the  young  Indian  quietly  k 
though  she  spoke  with  concern. 

"No — they  shall  not  know  that  you  have  been  here. 
Still,  they  must  be  on  their  guard,  and  we  shall  all  go  into 
the  block-house. ' ' 

' '  Arrowhead  know — see  everything,  and  June  be  kill ; 
June  come  to  tell  young  pale-face  friend,  not  to  tell  men. 
Every  warrior  watch  his  own  scalp.  June  squaw,  and  tell 
squaw  ;  no  tell  men." 

Mabel  was  greatly  distressed  at  this  declaration  of  her 
wild  friend,  for  it  was  now  evident  the  young  creature  un- 


34s  Ube  patbfinfcer 


derstood  that  her  communication  was  to  go  no  further. 
She  was  ignorant  how  far  these  people  considered  the  point 
of  honor  interested  in  her  keeping  the  secret ;  and,  most  of 
all,  she  was  unable  to  say  how  far  any  indiscretion  of  her 
own  might  actually  commit  June,  and  endanger  her  life. 
All  these  considerations  flashed  on  her  mind,  and  reflection 
only  rendered  their  influence  more  painful.  June,  too,  mani- 
festly viewed  the  matter  gravely,  for  she  began  to  gather 
up  the  different  little  articles  she  had  dropped,  in  taking 
Mabel's  hand,  and  was  preparing  to  depart.  To  attempt 
detaining  her  was  out  of  the  question,  and  to  part  from  her, 
after  all  she  had  hazarded  to  serve  her,  was  repugnant  to 
all  the  just  and  kind  feelings  of  our  heroine's  nature. 

"June,"  she  said  eagerly,  folding  her  arms  round  the 
gentle,  but  uneducated  being,  "we  are  friends.  From  me 
you  have  nothing  to  fear,  for  no  one  shall  know  of  your 
visit.  If  you  could  give  me  some  signal  just  before  the 
danger  comes,  some  sign  by  which  to  know  when  to  go  into 
the  block-house — how  to  take  care  of  myself — " 

June  paused,  for  she  had  been  in  earnest  in  her  intention 
to  depart ;  and  then  she  said  quietly, — 

"  Bring  June  pigeon." 

"  A  pigeon  !    Where  shall  I  find  a  pigeon  to  bring  you  ?  " 

' '  Next  hut — bring  old  one — June  go  to  canoe. ' ' 

"I  think  I  understand  you,  June  ;  but  had  I  not  better 
lead  you  back  to  the  bushes,  lest  you  meet  some  of  the 
men?" 

"Go  out  first — count  men — one,  two,  free,  four,  five, 
six  ;  "  here  June  held  up  her  fingers  and  laughed  ;  "all  out 
of  way— good ;  all  but  one— call  him  one  side.  Then  sing, 
and  fetch  pigeon." 

Mabel  smiled  at  the  readiness  and  ingenuity  of  the  girl, 
and  prepared  to  execute  her  requests.  At  the  door,  how- 
ever, she  stopped,  and  looked  back  entreatingly  at  the 
Indian  woman. 

"Is  there  no  hope  of  your  telling  me  more,  June?" 
she  said. 

"Know  all  now;  block-house  good — pigeon  tell-  Arrow- 
head kill." 


TTbe  patbfinber  349 


The  last  words  sufficed  ;  for  Mabel  could  not  urge  fur- 
ther communications,  when  her  companion  herself  told  her 
that  the  penalty  of  her  revelations  might  be  death  by  the 
hand  of  her  husband.  Throwing  open  the  door,  she  made  a 
sign  of  adieu  to  June,  and  went  out  of  the  hut.  Mabel  re- 
sorted to  the  simple  expedient  of  the  young  Indian  girl,  to 
ascertain  the  situation  of  the  different  individuals  on  the  is- 
land. Instead  of  looking  about  her  with  the  intention  of 
recognizing  faces  and  dresses,  she  merely  counted  them  ; 
and  found  that  three  still  remained  at  the  fire,  while  two  had 
gone  to  the  boat,  one  of  whom  was  Mr.  Muir.  The  sixth 
man  was  her  uncle  ;  and  he  was  coolly  arranging  some  fish- 
ing tackle,  at  no  great  distance  from  the  fire.  The  woman 
was  just  entering  her  own  hut ;  and  this  accounted  for  the 
whole  party.  Mabel  now,  affecting  to  have  dropped  some- 
thing, returned  nearly  to  the  hut  she  had  left,  warbling  an 
air,  stooped  as  if  to  pick  up  some  object  from  the  ground, 
and  hurried  towards  the  hut  June  had  mentioned.  This 
was  a  dilapidated  structure,  and  it  had  been  converted  by 
the  soldiers  of  the  last  detachment  into  a  sort  of  store-house 
for  their  live  stock.  Among  other  things,  it  contained  a 
few  dozen  pigeons,  which  were  regaling  on  a  pile  of  wheat 
that  had  been  brought  off  from  one  of  the  farms  plundered 
on  the  Canada  shore.  Mabel  had  not  much  difficulty  in 
catching  one  of  these  pigeons,  although  they  fluttered  and 
flew  about  the  hut,  with  a  noise  like  that  of  drums ;  and, 
concealing  it  in  her  dress,  she  stole  back  towards  her  own 
hut  with  the  prize.  It  was  empty  ;  and,  without  doing 
more  than  cast  a  glance  in  at  the  door,  the  eager  girl  hur- 
ried down  to  the  shore.  She  had  no  difficulty  in  escaping 
observation,  for  the  trees  and  bushes  made  a  complete  cover 
to  her  person.  At  the  canoe  she  found  June,  who  took  the 
pigeon,  placed  it  in  a  basket  of  her  own  manufacturing,  and 
repeating  the  words,  "  Block-house  good,"  she  glided  out  of 
the  bushes  and  across  the  narrow  passage  as  noiselessly  as 
she  had  come.  Mabel  waited  some  time  to  catch  a  signal 
of  leave-taking  or  amity,  after  her  friend  had  landed,  but 
none  was  given.  The  adjacent  islands,  without  exception, 
were  as  quiet  as  if  no  one  had  ever  disturbed  the  sublime 


350 


Ube 


repose  of  nature  ;  and  nowhere  could  any  sign  or  symptom 
be  discovered,  as  Mabel  then  thought,  that  might  denote  the 
proximity  of  the  sort  of  danger  of  which  June  had  given 
notice. 

On  returning,  however,  from  the  shore,  Mabel  was  struck 
with  a  little  circumstance,  that,  in  an  ordinary  situation, 
would  have  attracted  no  attention,  but  which,  now  that  her 
suspicions  had  been  aroused,  did  not  pass  before  her  uneasy 
eye  unnoticed.  A  small  piece  of  red  bunting,  such  as  is 
used  in  the  ensigns  of  ships,  was  fluttering  at  the  lower 
branch  of  a  small  tree,  fastened  in  a  way  to  permit  it  to  blow 
out,  or  to  droop  like  a  vessel's  pennant. 

Now  that  Mabel's  fears  were  awakened,  June  herself  could 
not  have  manifested  greater  quickness  in  analyzing  facts  that 
she  believed  might  affect  the  safety  of  the  party.  She  saw 
at  a  glance  that  this  bit  of  cloth  could  be  observed  from  an 
adjacent  island  ;  that  it  lay  so  near  the  line  between  her 
own  hut  and  the  canoe,  as  to  leave  no  doubt  that  June  had 
passed  near  it,  if  not  directly  under  it ;  and  that  it  might  be 
a  signal  to  communicate  some  important  fact  connected  with 
the  mode  of  attack,  to  those  who  were  probably  lying  in 
ambush  near  them.  Tearing  the  little  strip  of  bunting  from 
the  tree,  Mabel  hastened  on,  scarce  knowing  what  duty  next 
required.  June  might  be  false  to  her  ;  but  her  manner,  her 
looks,  her  affection,  and  her  disposition  as  Mabel  had  known 
it  in  the  journey,  forbade  the  idea.  Then  came  the  allusion 
to  Arrowhead's  admiration  of  the  pale- face  beauties,  some 
dim  recollections  of  the  looks  of  the  Tuscarora,  and  a  pain- 
ful consciousness  that  few  wives  could'  view  with  kindness 
one  who  had  estranged  a  husband's  affections.  None  of 
these  images  were  distinct  and  clear,  but  they  rather  gleamed 
over  the  mind  of  our  heroine  than  rested  in  it,  and  they 
quickened  her  pulses,  as  they  did  her  step,  without  bringing 
with  them  the  prompt  and  clear  decisions  that  usually  fol- 
lowed her  reflections.  She  had  hurried  onwards  towards 
the  hut  occupied  by  the  soldier's  wife,  intending  to  remove 
at  once  to  the  block-house  with  the  woman,  though  she  could 
persuade  no  other  to  follow,  when  her  impatient  walk  was 
interrupted  by  the  voice  of  Muir. 


Ube  jpatbfinber  351 


"Whither  so  fast,  pretty  Mabel,"  he  cried,  "and  why  so 
given  to  solitude?  the  worthy  sergeant  will  deride  my 
breeding,  if  he  hear  that  his  daughter  passes  the  mornings 
alone  and  unattended  to,  though  he  well  knows  that  it  is  my 
ardent  wish  to  be  her  slave  and  companion,  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  year  to  its  end. ' ' 

"  Surely,  Mr.  Muir,  you  must  have  some  authority  here," 
Mabel  suddenly  arrested  her  step  to  say.  "One  of  your 
rank  would  be  listened  to,  at  least,  by  a  corporal. ' ' 

"I  don't  know  that — I  don't  know  that,"  interrupted 
Muir,  with  an  impatience  and  appearance  of  alarm  that 
might  have  excited  Mabel's  attention  at  another  moment. 
' '  Command  is  command,  discipline,  discipline,  and  authority, 
authority.  Your  good  father  would  be  sore  grieved  did  he 
find  me  interfering  to  sully,  or  carry  off  the  laurels  he  is 
about  to  win  ;  and  I  cannot  command  the  corporal,  without 
equally  commanding  the  sergeant.  The  wisest  way  will  be 
for  me  to  remain  in  the  obscurity  of  a  private  individual  in 
this  enterprise  ;  and  it  is  so  that  all  parties,  from  Lundie 
down,  understand  the  transaction." 

' '  This  I  know,  and  it  may  be  well ;  nor  would  I  give  my 
dear  father  any  cause  of  complaint,  but  you  may  influence 
the  corporal  to  his  own  good." 

"  I  '11  no  say  that,"  returned  Muir,  in  his  sly  Scotch  way  ; 
' '  it  would  be  far  safer  to  promise  to  influence  him  to  his 
injury.  Mankind,  pretty  Mabel,  have  their  peculiarities, 
and  to  influence  a  fellow-being  to  his  own  good,  is  one  of  the 
most  difficult  tasks  of  human  nature,  while  the  opposite  is 
just  the  easiest.  You  '11  no  forget  this,  my  dear ;  but  bear 
it  in  mind  for  your  edification  and  government ;  but  what 
is  that  you  're  twisting  round  your  slender  finger,  as  you  may 
be  said  to  twist  hearts  ?  ' ' 

' '  It  is  nothing  but  a  bit  of  cloth — a  sort  of  flag — a  trifle  that 
is  hardly  worth  our  attention  at  this  grave  moment — if— 

' '  A  trifle  !  It 's  no  so  trifling  as  ye  may  imagine,  Mistress 
Mabel,"  taking  the  bit  of  bunting  from  her,  and  stretching 
it  at  full  length  with  both  his  arms  extended,  while  his  face 
grew  grave,  and  his  eye  watchful.  "  Ye  '11  no  ha'  been  find- 
ing this,  Mable  Dunham,  in  the  breakfast?  " 


35*  trbe  patbfinber 


Mabel  simply  acquainted  him  with  the  spot  where,  and 
the  manner  in  which  she  had  found  the  bit  of  cloth.  While 
she  was  speaking,  the  eye  of  the  quartermaster  was  not 
quiet  for  a  moment,  glancing  from  the  rag  to  the  face  of  our 
heroine,  then  back  again  to  the  rag.  That  his  suspicions 
were  awakened  was  easy  to  be  seen,  nor  was  he  long  in  let- 
ting it  be  known  what  direction  they  had  taken. 

"We  are  not  in  a  part  of  the  world  where  our  ensigns 
and  gauds  ought  to  be  spread  abroad  to  the  wind,  Mabel 
Dunham  !  "  he  said,  with  an  ominous  shake  of  the  head. 

"  I  thought  as  much  myself,  Mr.  Muir,  and  brought  away 
the  little  flag,  lest  it  might  be  the  means  of  betraying  our 
presence  here  to  the  enemy,  even  though  nothing  is  intended 
by  its  display.  Ought  not  my  uncle  to  be  made  acquainted 
with  the  circumstance?  " 

"  I  no  see  the  necessity  for  that,  pretty  Mabel,  for  as  you 
justly  say  it  is  a  circumstance,  and  circumstances  sometimes 
worry  the  worthy  mariner.  But  this  flag,  if  flag  it  can  be 
called,  belongs  to  a  seaman's  craft.  You  may  perceive  that 
it  is  made  of  what  is  called  bunting,  and  that  is  a  description 
of  cloth  used  only  by  vessels  for  such  purposes,  our  colors 
being  of  silk,  as  you  may  understand,  or  painted  canvas. 
It 's  surprisingly  like  the  fly  of  the  Scud's  ensign  !  And  now 
I  recollect  me  to  have  observed  that  a  piece  had  been  cut 
from  that  very  flag  !  " 

Mabel  felt  her  heart  sink,  but  she  had  sufficient  self-com- 
mand not  to  attempt  an  answer. 

"  It  must  be  looked  to,"  Muir  continued,  "  and  after  all,  I 
think  it  may  be  well  to  hold  a  short  consultation  with  Mas- 
ter Cap,  than  whom  a  more  loyal  subject  does  not  exist  in 
the  British  empire." 

"  I  have  thought  the  warning  so  serious, "  Mabel  rejoined, 
"  that  I  am  about  to  remove  to  the  block-house,  and  to  take 
the  woman  with  me. ' ' 

"  I  do  not  see  the  prudence  of  that,  Mabel.  The  block- 
house will  be  the  first  spot  assailed,  should  there  really  be  an 
attack  ;  and  it 's  no  well  provided  for  a  siege,  that  must  be 
allowed.  If  I  might  advise  in  so  delicate  a  contingency,  I 
would  recommend  your  taking  refuge  in  the  boat,  which,  as 


Ube  patbfinfcer  353 


you  may  now  perceive,  is  most  favorably  placed  to  retreat 
by  that  channel  opposite,  where  all  in  it  would  be  hid  by 
the  islands,  in  one  or  two  minutes.  Water  leaves  no  trail, 
as  Pathfinder  well  expresses  it,  and  there  appear  to  be  so 
many  different  passages  in  that  quarter,  that  escape  would 
be  more  probable.  I  've  always  been  of  opinion  that  Lun- 
die  hazarded  too  much,  in  occupying  a  post  as  far  advanced, 
and  as  much  exposed,  as  this." 

"It's  too  late  to  regret  it  now,  Mr.  Muir,  and  we  have 
only  to  consult  our  own  security." 

"And  the  king's  honor,  pretty  Mabel.  Yes,  his  majesty's 
arms,  and  his  glorious  name,  are  not  to  be  overlooked  on  any 
occasion." 

' '  Then  I  think  it  might  be  better  if  we  all  turned  our  eyes 
towards  the  place  that  has  been  built  to  maintain  them,  in- 
stead of  the  boat,"  said  Mabel,  smiling  ;  "  and  so,  Mr.  Muir, 
I  am  for  the  block-house,  with  a  disposition  to  await  there 
the  return  of  my  father  and  his  party.  He  would  be  sadly 
grieved  at  finding  we  had  fled,  when  he  got  back,  successful 
himself,  and  filled  with  the  confidence  of  our  having  been 
as  faithful  to  our  duties  as  he  has  been  to  his  own." 

"  Nay,  nay,  for  heaven's  sake,  do  not  misunderstand  me, 
Mabel,"  Muir  interrupted  with  some  alarm  of  manner,  "  I 
am  far  from  intimating  that  any  but  you  females  ought  to 
take  refuge  in  the  boat.  The  duty  of  us  men  is  sufficiently 
plain,  no  doubt,  and  my  resolution  has  been  formed  from 
the  first,  to  stand  or  fall  by  the  block-house." 

' '  And  did  you  imagine,  Mr.  Muir,  that  two  females  could 
row  that  heavy  boat  in  a  way  to  escape  the  bark  canoe  of  an 
Indian?  " 

"Ah  !  my  pretty  Mabel,  love  is  seldom  logical,  and  its 
fears  and  misgivings  are  apt  to  warp  the  faculties.  I  only 
saw  your  sweet  person  in  possession  of  the  means  of  safety, 
and  overlooked  the  want  of  ability  to  use  them.  But  you  '11 
not  be  so  cruel,  lovely  creature,  as  to  impute  to  me  as  a 
fault  my  intense  anxiety  on  your  own  account  !  " 

Mabel  had  heard  enough.  Her  mind  was  too  much  oc- 
cupied with  what  had  passed  that  morning,  and  with  her 
fears,  to  wish  to  linger  further  to  listen  to  love  speeches, 


354  ftbe  fcatbfinfcer 


that,  in  her  most  joyous  and  buoyant  moments,  she  would 
have  found  unpleasant.  She  took  a  hasty  leave  of  her 
companion,  and  was  about  to  trip  away  towards  the  hut  of 
the  other  woman,  when  Muir  arrested  the  movement,  by 
laying  a  hand  on  her  arm. 

"One  word,  Mabel,"  he  said,  "before  you  leave  me. 
This  little  flag  may,  or  it  may  not,  have  a  particular  mean- 
ing ;  if  it  has,  now  that  we  are  aware  of  its  being  shown, 
may  it  not  be  better  to  put  it  back  again,  while  we  watch 
vigilantly  for  some  answer,  that  may  betray  the  conspiracy  ; 
and  if  it  mean  nothing,  why  nothing  will  follow." 

' '  This  may  be  all  right,  Mr.  Muir,  though  if  the  whole  is 
accidental,  the  flag  might  be  the  occasion  of  the  fort's  being 
discovered." 

Mabel  stayed  to  utter  no  more,  but  she  was  soon  out  of 
sight,  running  into  the  hut  towards  which  she  had  been  first 
proceeding.  The  quartermaster  remained  on  the  very  spot, 
and  in  the  precise  attitude  in  which  she  had  left  him,  for 
quite  a  minute,  first  looking  at  the  bounding  figure  of  the 
girl,  and  then  at  the  bit  of  bunting,  which  he  still  held  be- 
fore him,  in  a  way  to  denote  indecision.  His  irresolution 
lasted  but  for  this  minute,  however,  for  he  was  soon  beneath 
the  tree,  where  he  fastened  the  mimic  flag  to  a  branch  again  ; 
though  from  his  ignorance  of  the  precise  spot  from  which  it 
had  been  taken  by  Mabel,  he  left  it  fluttering  from  a  part 
of  the  oak  where  it  was  still  more  exposed  than  before,  to 
the  eyes  of  any  passenger  on  the  river,  though  less  in  view. 
from  the  island  itself. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

"  Each  one  has  had  his  supping  mess, 
The  cheese  is  put  into  the  press, 
The  pans  and  bowls  clean  scalded  all, 
Reared  up  against  the  milk-house  wall." 

COTTON. 

IT  seemed  strange  to  Mabel  Dunham,  as  she  passed 
along  on  her  way  to  find  her  female  companion,  that 
others  should  be  so  composed,  while  she  herself  felt  as 
if  the  responsibilities  of  life  and  death  rested  on  her 
shoulders.  It  is  true,  that  distrust  of  June's  motives  mingled 
with  her  forebodings  ;  but  when  she  came  to  recall  the 
affectionate  and  natural  manner  of  the  young  Indian  girl, 
and  all  the  evidences  of  good  faith  and  sincerity  that  she 
had  seen  in  her  conduct,  during  the  familiar  intercourse  of 
their  journey,  she  rejected  the  idea,  with  the  unwillingness 
of  a  generous  disposition  to  believe  ill  of  others.  She  saw, 
however,  that  she  could  not  put  her  companions  properly 
on  their  guard,  without  letting  them  into  the  secret  of  her 
conference  with  June  ;  and  she  found  herself  compelled  to 
act  cautiously  and  with  a  forethought  to  which  she  was  un- 
accustomed, more  especially  in  a  matter  of  so  much  moment. 
The  soldier's  wife  was  told  to  transport  the  necessaries 
into  the  block-house,  and  admonished  not  to  be  far  from  it, 
at  any  time  during  the  day.  Mabel  did  not  explain  her 
reasons.  She  merely  stated  that  she  had  detected  some 
signs  in  walking  about  the  island,  that  induced  her  to  appre- 
hend that  the  enemy  had  more  knowledge  of  its  position 
than  had  been  previously  believed,  and  that  they  two,  at 
least,  would  do  well  to  be  in  readiness  to  seek  a  refuge  at 
the  shortest  notice.  It  was  not  difficult  to  arouse  the  appre- 
hension of  this  person,  who,  though  a  stout-hearted  Scotch 
355 


356  Ube 


woman,  was  ready  enough  to  listen  to  anything  that  con- 
firmed her  dread  of  Indian  cruelties.  As  soon  as  Mabel 
believed  that  her  companion  was  sufficiently  frightened  to 
make  her  wary,  she  threw  out  some  hints,  touching  the  in- 
expediency of  letting  the  soldiers  know  the  extent  of  their 
own  fears.  This  was  done  with  a  view  to  prevent  dis- 
cussions and  inquiries  that  might  embarrass  our  heroine  ; 
she  determining  to  render  her  uncle,  the  corporal,  and  his 
men,  more  cautious,  by  adopting  a  different  course.  Un- 
fortunately, the  British  army  could  not  have  furnished  a 
worse  person  for  the  particular  duty  that  he  was  now  re- 
quired to  discharge,  than  Corporal  McNab,  the  individual 
who  had  been  left  in  command  during  the  absence  of  Ser- 
geant Dunham.  On  the  one  hand  he  was  resolute,  prompt, 
familiar  with  all  the  details  of  a  soldier's  life,  and  used  to 
war ;  on  the  other,  he  was  supercilious  as  regards  the  pro- 
vincials, opinionated  on  every  subject  connected  with  the 
narrow  limits  of  his  professional  practice,  much  disposed  to 
fancy  the  British  empire  the  centre  of  all  that  is  excellent 
in  the  world,  and  Scotland  the  focus  of,  at  least,  all  moral 
excellence  in  that  empire.  In  short,  he  was  an  epitome, 
though  in  a  scale  suited  to  his  rank,  of  those  very  qualities 
which  were  so  peculiar  to  the  servants  of  the  crown  that 
were  sent  into  the  colonies,  as  these  servants  estimated 
themselves  in  comparison  with  the  natives  of  the  country  ; 
or,  in  other  words,  he  considered  the  American  as  an 
animal  inferior  to  the  parent  stock,  and  viewed  all  his 
notions  of  military  service,  in  particular,  as  undigested  and 
absurd.  Braddock,  himself,  was  not  less  disposed  to  take 
advice  from  a  provincial,  than  his  humble  imitator  ;  and  he 
had  been  known,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  to  demur 
to  the  directions  and  orders  of  two  or  three  commissioned 
officers  of  the  corps,  who  happened  to  be  born  in  America, 
simply  for  that  reason  ;  taking  care,  at  the  same  time,  with 
true  Scottish  wariness,  to  protect  himself  from  the  pains  and 
penalties  of  positive  disobedience.  A  more  impracticable 
subject,  therefore,  could  not  well  have  offered  for  the  pur- 
pose of  Mabel,  and  yet  she  felt  obliged  to  lose  no  time  in 
putting  her  plan  in  execution. 


jpatbffnfcer  357 


"  My  father  has  left  you  a  responsible  command,  corporal," 
she  said,  as  soon  as  she  could  catch  McNab  a  little  apart 
from  the  rest  of  the  soldiers  ;  "for  should  the  island  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  not  only  would  we  be  captured, 
but  the  party  that  is  now  out  would  in  all  probability  become 
their  prisoners  also." 

"It  needs  no  journey  from  Scotland  to  this  place,  to 
know  the  facts  needful  to  be  o' that  way  of  thinking,"  re- 
turned McNab,  dryly. 

"  I  do  not  doubt  your  understanding  it,  as  well  as  myself, 
Mr.  McNab  ;  but  I  'm  fearful  that  you  veterans,  accustomed 
as  you  are  to  dangers  and  battles,  are  a  little  apt  to  overlook 
some  of  the  precautions  that  may  be  necessary  in  a  situation 
as  peculiar  as  ours." 

' '  They  say  Scotland  is  no  conquered  country,  young 
woman,  but  I  'm  thinking  there  must  be  some  mistak'  in  the 
matter,  as  we,  her  children,  are  so  drowsy-headed,  and  apt 
to  be  o'ertaken  when  we  least  expect  it. 

' '  Nay,  my  good  friend,  you  mistake  my  meaning.  In  the 
first  place,  I'm  not  thinking  of  Scotland  at  all,  but  of  this 
island  ;  and  then  I  am  far  from  doubting  your  vigilance 
when  you  think  it  necessary  to  practise  it  ;  but  my  great  fear 
is  that  there  may  be  danger  to  which  your  courage  will  make 
you  indifferent." 

"  My  courage,  Mistress  Dunham,  is  doubtless  of  a  very 
poor  quality,  being  nothing  but  Scottish  courage ;  your 
father's  is  Yankee,  and  were  he  here  amang  us,  we  should 
see  different  preparations  beyond  a  doubt.  Well,  times  are 
getting  wrang,  when  foreigners  hold  commissions  and  carry 
halberds  in  Scottish  corps  ;  and  I  no  wonder  that  battles  are 
lost,  and  campaigns  go  wrang  end  foremost." 

Mabel  was  almost  in  despair,  but  the  quiet  warning  of  June 
was  still  too  vividly  impressed  on  her  mind  to  allow  her  to 
yield  the  matter.  She  changed  her  mode  of  operating, 
therefore,  still  clinging  to  the  hope  of  getting  the  whole 
party  within  the  block-house,  without  being  compelled  to 
betray  the  source  whence  she  obtained  her  notices  of  the 
necessity  of  vigilance. 

"I  dare  say  you  are  right,  Corporal  McNab,"  she  obser- 


3S8  ftbe  jpatbfinfcer 


ved,  "  for  I  've  often  heard  of  the  heroes  of  your  country  who 
have  been  among  the  first  of  the  civilized  world,  if  what  they 
tell  me  of  them  is  true. ' ' 

"Have  you  read  the  history  of  Scotland,  Mistress  Dun- 
ham?" demanded  the  corporal,  looking  up  at  his  pretty 
companion,  for  the  first  time,  with  something  like  a  smile  on 
his  hard,  repulsive  countenance. 

"  I  have  read  a  little  of  it,  corporal,  but  I  've  heard  much 
more.  The  lady  who  brought  me  up  had  Scottish  blood  in 
her  veins,  and  was  fond  of  the  subject !  " 

"  I  '11  warrant  ye,  the  sergeant  no  troubled  himself  to  expa- 
tiate on  the  renown  of  the  country  where  his  regiment  was 
raised? " 

"  My  father  has  other  things  to  think  of,  and  the  little  I 
know,  was  got  from  the  lady  I  have  mentioned." 

"She  '11  no  be  forgetting  to  tall  ye  o'  Wallace ? " 

"  Of  him  I  've  even  read  a  good  deal." 

"  And  o'  Bruce — and  the  affair  o'  Bannock-burn  ?  " 

"  Of  that,  too,  as  well  as  of  Culloden-muir. " 

The  last  of  these  battles  was  then  a  recent  event,  it  having 
actually  been  fought  within  the  recollection  of  our  heroine  ; 
whose  notions  of  it,  however,  were  so  confused  that  she 
scarcely  appreciated  the  effect  her  allusion  might  produce  on 
her  companion.  She  knew  it  had  been  a  victory,  and  had 
often  heard  the  guests  of  her  patroness  mention  it  with 
triumph  ;  and  she  fancied  their  feelings  would  find  a  sym- 
pathetic chord  in  those  of  every  British  soldier.  Unfortu- 
nately, McNab  had  fought  throughout  that  luckless  day,  on 
the  side  of  the  Pretender  ;  and  a  deep  scar  that  garnished 
his  face,  had  been  left  there  by  the  sabre  of  a  German  soldier, 
in  the  service  of  the  House  of  Hanover.  He  fancied  that 
his  wound  bled  afresh  at  Mabel's  allusion  ;  and  it  is  certain 
that  the  blood  rushed  to  his  face  in  a  torrent,  as  if  it  would 
pour  out  of  his  at  the  cicatrix. 

"Hoot!  hoot  awa'!"  he  fairly  shouted,  "  with  your 
Culoden  and  Sherif-muirs,  young  woman ;  ye  '11  no  be 
understanding  the  subject  at  all,  and  will  manifest  not 
only  wisdom,  but  modesty,  in  speaking  o'  your  ain  country 
and  its  many  failings.  King  George  has  some  loyal  subjects 


patbfinfcer  359 


in  the  colonies,  na  doubt ;  but 't  will  be  a  lang  time  bafore 
he  sees  or  hears  any  guid  of  them. ' ' 

Mabel  was  surprised  at  the  corporal's  heat,  for  she  had  not 
the  smallest  idea  where  the  shoe  pinched  ;  but  she  was  deter- 
mined not  to  give  up  the  point. 

"  I  've  always  heard  that  the  Scotch  had  two  of  the  good 
qualities  of  soldiers,"  she  said,  "courage  and  circumspec- 
tion ;  and  I  feel  persuaded  that  Corporal  McNab  will  sustain 
the  national  renown. ' ' 

"Ask  ye'r  own  father,  Mistress  Dunham  :  he  is  acquaint' 
with  Corporal  McNab,  and  will  no  be  backward  to  point  out 
his  demerits.  We  have  been  in  battle  the'gither,  and  he  is 
my  superior  officer,  and  has  a  sort  o'  official  right  to  give  the 
characters  of  his  subordinates." 

"  My  father  thinks  well  of  you,  McNab,  or  he  would  not 
have  left  you  in  charge  of  this  island  and  all  it  contains,  his 
own  daughter  included.  Among  other  things  I  well  know 
that  he  calculates  largely  on  your  prudence.  He  expects  the 
block-house,  in  particular,  to  be  strictly  attended  to." 

"  If  he  wishes  to  defend  the  honor  of  the  55th  behind  logs, 
he  ought  to  have  remained  in  command  himsal'  ;  for,  to 
speak  frankly,  it  goes  against  a  Scotsman's  bluid  and  opin- 
ions, to  be  beaten  out  of  the  field  even  before  he  is  attacked. 
We  are  broadsword  men,  and  love  to  stand  foot  to  foot  with 
the  foe.  This  American  mode  of  fighting,  that  is  getting 
into  so  much  favor,  will  destroy  the  reputation  of  his 
majesty's  army,  if  it  no  destroy  its  spirit." 

"No  true  soldier  despises  caution.  Even  Major  Duncan 
himself,  than  whom  there  is  none  braver,  is  celebrated  for  his 
care  of  his  men." 

' '  Lundie  has  his  weakness,  and  is  fast  forgetting  the 
broadsword  and  open  heaths,  in  his  tree  and  rifle  practice. 
But,  Mistress  Mabel,  tak'  the  word  of  an  old  soldier,  who 
has  seen  his  fifty-fifth  year,  when  he  tails  ye,  that  there  is  no 
surer  method  to  encourage  your  enemy  than  to  seem  to  fear 
him  ;  and  that  there  is  no  danger  in  this  Indian  warfare,  that 
the  fancies  and  imaginations  of  your  Americans  have  not 
augmented  and  enlarged  upon,  until  they  see  a  savage  in 
every  bush.  We  Scots  come  from  a  naked  region,  and  have 


36o  Ube  patbfinber 


no  need,  and  less  relish  for  covers,  and  so  ye  '11  be  seeing, 
Mistress  Dunham — " 

The  corporal  gave  a  spring  into  the  air,  fell  forward  on 
his  face,  and  rolled  over  on  his  back — the  whole  passing  so 
suddenly,  that  Mabel  had  scarcely  heard  the  sharp  crack  of 
the  rifle  that  sent  a  bullet  through  his  body.  Our  heroine 
did  not  shriek— did  not  even  tremble ;  the  occurrence  was 
too  sudden,  too  awful,  and  too  unexpected  for  that  exhibition 
of  weakness  :  on  the  contrary,  she  stepped  hastily  forward, 
with  a  natural  impulse  to  aid  her  companion.  There  was 
just  enough  of  life  left  in  McNab  to  betray  his  entire  con- 
sciousness of  all  that  had  passed.  His  countenance  had  the 
wild  look  of  one  who  had  been  overtaken  by  death,  by  sur- 
prise ;  and  Mabel,  in  her  cooler  moments,  fancied  that  he 
showed  the  tardy  repentance  of  a  wilful  and  obstinate  sinner. 
"Ye '11  be  getting  into  the  block-house  as  fast  as  possi- 
ble," McNab  whispered,  as  Mabel  leaned  over  him,  to  catch 
his  dying  words. 

Then  came  over  our  heroine  the  full  consciousness  of  her 
situation,  and  of  the  necessity  of  exertion.  She  cast  a 
rapid  glance  at  the  body  at  her  feet,  saw  that  it  had  ceased 
to  breathe,  and  fled.  It  was  but  a  few  minutes'  run  to  the 
block-house,  the  door  of  which  Mabel  had  barely  gained, 
when  it  was  closed  violently  in  her  face  by  Jennie,  the  sol- 
dier's wife,  who,  in  blind  terror,  thought  only  of  her  own 
safety.  The  reports  of  five  or  six  rifles  were  heard  while 
Mabel  was  calling  out  for  admittance ;  and  the  additional 
terror  they  produced,  prevented  the  woman  within  from 
undoing  quickly  the  very  fastenings  she  had  been  so  ex- 
pert in  applying.  After  a  minute's  delay,  however,  Mabel 
found  the  door  reluctantly  yielding  to  her  constant  pressure, 
and  she  forced  her  slender  body  through  the  opening,  the 
instant  it  was  large  enough  to  allow  of  its  passage.  By 
this  time,  Mabel's  heart  ceased  to  beat  tumultuously,  and 
she  gained  sufficient  self-command  to  act  collectedly.  In- 
stead of  yielding  to  the  almost  convulsive  efforts  of  her 
companion  to  close  the  door  again,  she  held  it  open  long 
enough  to  ascertain  that  none  of  her  own  party  was  in 
sight,  or  likely,  on  the  instant,  to  endeavor  to  gain  admis- 


Ube  patbfinfcer  36i 


sion  ;  she  then  allowed  the  opening  to  be  shut.  Her  orders 
and  proceedings  now  became  more  calm  and  rational.  But 
a  single  bar  was  crossed,  and  Jennie  was  directed  to  stand 
in  readiness  to  remove  even  that,  at  any  application  from  a 
friend.  She  then  ascended  the  ladder  to  the  room  above, 
where,  by  means  of  loop-holes,  she  was  enabled  to  get  as 
good  a  view  of  the  island  as  the  surrounding  bushes  would 
allow.  Admonishing  her  associate  below  to  be  firm  and 
steady,  she  made  as  careful  examination  of  the  environs  as 
her  situation  permitted. 

To  her  great  surprise,  Mabel  could  not,  at  first,  see  a  liv- 
ing soul  on  the  island,  friend  or  enemy.  Neither  French- 
man nor  Indian  was  visible,  though  a  small  straggling  white 
cloud  that  was  floating  before  the  wind,  told  her  in  which 
quarter  she  ought  to  look  for  them.  The  rifles  had  been 
discharged  from  the  direction  of  the  island  whence  June 
had  come,  though  whether  the  enemy  were  on  that  island, 
or  had  actually  landed  on  her  own,  Mabel  could  not  say. 
Going  to  the  loop  that  commanded  a  view  of  the  spot 
where  McNab  lay,  her  blood  curdled  at  perceiving  all  three 
of  his  soldiers  lying  apparently  lifeless  at  his  side.  These 
men  had  rushed  to  a  common  centre  at  the  first  alarm,  and 
had  been  shot  down  almost  simultaneously  by  the  invisible 
foe,  whom  the  corporal  had  affected  to  despise. 

Neither  Cap  nor  Lieutenant  Muir  was  to  be  seen.  With 
a  beating  heart,  Mabel  examined  every  opening  through  the 
trees,  and  ascended  even  to  the  upper  story  or  garret  of  the 
block-house,  where  she  got  a  full  view  of  the  whole  island, 
so  far  as  its  covers  would  allow  ;  but  with  no  better  suc- 
cess. She  had  expected  to  see  the  body  of  her  uncle  lying 
on  the  grass,  like  those  of  the  soldiers,  but  it  was  nowhere 
visible.  Turning  towrards  the  spot  where  the  boat  lay,  Ma- 
bel saw  that  it  was  still  fastened  to  the  shore  ;  and  then  she 
supposed  that,  by  some  accident,  Muir  had  been  prevented 
from  effecting  his  retreat  in  that  quarter.  In  short,  the 
island  lay  in  the  quiet  of  the  grave,  the  bodies  of  the  sol- 
.diers  rendering  the  scene  as  fearful  as  it  was  extraordinary. 

"For  God's  holy  sake,  Mistress  Mabel,"  called  out  the 
woman  from  below,  for,  though  her  fear  had  got  to  be  too 


362  Ube  patbfint>er 


ungovernable  to  allow  her  to  keep  silence,  our  heroine's 
superior  refinement,  more  than  the  regimental  station  of  her 
father,  still  controlled  her  mode  of  address ;  "for  His  holy 
sake,  Mistress  Mabel,  tell  me  if  any  of  our  friends  are  liv- 
ing !  I  think  I  hear  groans  that  grow  fainter  and  fainter, 
and  fear  that  they  will  all  be  tomahawked  ! ' ' 

Mabel  now  remembered  that  one  of  the  soldiers  was  this 
woman's  husband,  and  she  trembled  at  what  might  be  the 
immediate  effect  of  her  sorrow,  should  his  death  become 
suddenly  known  to  her.  The  groans,  too,  gave  a  little 
hope,  though  she  feared  they  might  come  from  her  uncle, 
who  lay  out  of  view. 

"We  are  in  His  holy  keeping,  Jennie,"  she  answered. 
' '  We  must  trust  in  Providence,  while  we  neglect  none  of  its 
benevolent  means  of  protecting  ourselves.  Be  careful  with 
the  door  ;  on  no  account  open  it,  without  my  directions. ' ' 

"  O  !  tell  me,  Mistress  Mabel,  if  you  can  anywhere  see 
Sandy?  If  I  could  only  let  him  know  that  I'm  in  safety, 
the  guid  man  would  be  easier  in  his  mind,  whether  free  or  a 
prisoner  ! " 

Sandy  was  Jennie's  husband,  and  he  lay  dead  in  plain 
view  of  the  loop,  from  which  our  heroine  was  then  looking. 

"  You  no  tell  me  if  you  're  seeing  of  Sandy,"  the  woman 
repeated  from  below,  impatient  at  Mabel's  silence. 

"There  are  some  of  our  people  gathered  about  the  body 
of  McNab,"  was  the  answer,  for  it  seemed  sacrilegious  in 
her  eyes  to  tell  a  direct  untruth,  under  the  awful  circum- 
stances in  which  she  was  placed. 

"Is  Sandy  amang  them?"  demanded  the  woman,  in  a 
voice  that  sounded  appalling  by  its  hoarseness  and  energy. 

"He  may  be  certainly — for  I  see  one,  two,  three,  four, 
and  all  in  the  scarlet  coats  of  the  regiment." 

"Sandy  !  "  called  out  the  woman  frantically  ;  "  why  d'  ye 
no  care  for  yoursal',  Sandy  ?  Come  hither  the  instant  man, 
and  share  your  wife's  fortunes,  in  weal  or  woe.  It 's  no  a 
moment  for  your  silly  discipline,  and  vainglorious  notions 
of  honor !  Sandy  ! — Sandy  !  " 

Mabel  heard  the  bar  turn,  and  then  the  door  creaked  on 


Ube  jpatbfin&er  363 


its  hinges.  Expectation,  not  to  say  terror,  held  her  in 
suspense  at  the  loop,  and  she  soon  beheld  Jennie  rushing 
through  the  bushes,  in  the  direction  of  the  cluster  of  dead. 
It  took  the  woman  but  an  instant  to  reach  the  fatal  spot. 
So  sudden  and  unexpected  had  been  the  blow,  that  she,  in 
her  terror,  did  not  appear  to  comprehend  its  weight.  Some 
wild  and  half-frantic  notion  of  a  deception  troubled  her 
fancy,  and  she  imagined  that  the  men  were  trifling  with  her 
fears.  She  took  her  husband's  hand,  and  it  was  still  warm, 
while  she  thought  a  covert  smile  was  struggling  on  his  lip. 

"  Why  will  ye  fool  life  away,  Sandy  ?  "  she  cried,  pulling 
at  the  arm.  "Ye '11  all  be  murdered  by  these  accursed 
Indians,  and  you  no  takin'  to  the  block  like  trusty  soldiers  ! 
Awa'  !  — awa' ,  and  no  be  losing  the  precious  moments. ' ' 

In  her  desperate  efforts,  the  woman  pulled  the  body  of  her 
husband  in  a  way  to  cause  the  head  to  turn  completely  over, 
when  the  small  hole  in  the  temple,  caused  by  the  entrance 
of  a  rifle  bullet,  and  a  few  drops  of  blood  trickling  over  the 
skin,  revealed  the  meaning  of  her  husband's  silence.  As 
the  horrid  truth  flashed,  in  its  full  extent,  on  her  mind,  the 
woman  clasped  her  hands,  gave  a  shriek  that  pierced  the 
glades  of  every  island  near,  and  fell  at  length  on  the  dead 
body  of  the  soldier.  Thrilling,  heart-reaching,  appalling  as 
was  that  shriek,  it  was  melody  to  the  cry  that  followed  it  so 
quickly  as  to  blend  the  sounds.  The  terrific  war-whoop 
arose  out  of  the  covers  of  the  island,  and  some  twenty  sav- 
ages, horrible  in  their  paint  and  the  other  devices  of  Indian 
ingenuity,  rushed  forward,  eager  to  secure  the  coveted 
scalps.  Arrowhead  was  foremost,  and  it  was  his  tomahawk 
that  brained  the  insensible  Jennie,  and  her  reeking  hair  was 
hanging  at  his  girdle  as  a  trophy,  in  less  than  two  minutes 
after  she  had  quitted  the  block-house.  His  companions 
were  equally  active,  and  McNab  and  his  soldiers  no  longer 
presented  the  quiet  aspect  of  men  who  slumbered.  They 
were  left  in  their  gore,  unequivocally  butchered  corpses. 

All  this  passed  in  much  less  time  than  has  been  required 
to  relate  it,  and  all  this  did  Mabel  witness.  She  had  stood 
riveted  to  the  spot,  gazing  on  the  whole  horrible  scene,  as 


364  ftbe  patbffnfcer 


if  enchained  by  some  charm,  nor  did  the  idea  of  self,  or  of 
her  own  danger,  once  obtrude  itself  on  her  thoughts.  But 
no  sooner  did  she  perceive  the  place  where  the  men  had 
fallen,  covered  with  savages,  exulting  in  the  success  of  their 
surprise,  than  it  occurred  to  her  that  Jennie  had  left  the 
block-house  door  unbarred.  Her  heart  beat  violently,  for 
that  defence  alone  stood  between  her  and  immediate  death, 
and  she  sprang  towards  the  ladder,  with  the  intention  of 
descending  to  make  sure  of  it.  Her  foot  had  not  yet 
reached  the  floor  of  the  second  story,  however,  when  she 
heard  the  door  grating  on  its  hinges,  and  she  gave  herself 
up  for  lost.  Sinking  on  her  knees,  the  terrified  but  coura- 
geous girl  endeavored  to  prepare  herself  for  death,  and  to 
raise  her  thoughts  to  God.  The  instinct  of  life,  however, 
was  too  strong  for  prayer,  and  while  her  lips  moved,  the 
jealous  senses  watched  every  sound  beneath.  When  her 
ears  heard  the  bars,  which  went  on  pivots  secured  to  the 
centre  of  the  door,  turning  into  their  fastenings,  not  one,  as 
she  herself  had  directed,  with  a  view  to  admit  her  uncle, 
should  he  apply,  but  all  three,  she  started  again  to  her  feet, 
all  spiritual  contemplations  vanished  in  her  actual  temporal 
condition,  and  it  seemed  as  if  all  her  faculties  were  absorbed 
in  the  sense  of  hearing. 

The  thoughts  are  active,  in  a  moment  so  fearful.  At  first 
Mabel  fancied  that  her  uncle  had  entered  the  block-house, 
and  she  was  about  to  descend  the  ladder  and  throw  herself 
into  his  arms ;  then  the  idea  that  it  might  be  an  Indian, 
who  had  barred  the  door  to  shut  out  intruders,  while  he 
plundered  at  leisure,  arrested  the  movement.  The  profound 
stillness  below  was  unlike  the  bold,  restless  movements  of 
Cap,  and  it  seemed  to  savor  more  of .  the  artifices  of  an 
enemy  ;  if  a  friend  at  all,  it  could  only  be  her  uncle  or  the 
quartermaster;  for  the  horrible  conviction  now  presented 
itself  to  our  heroine,  that  to  these  two,  and  herself,  were 
the  whole  party  suddenly  reduced,  if,  indeed,  the  two  latter 
survived.  This  consideration  held  Mabel  in  check,  and  for 
quite  two  minutes  more,  a  breathless  silence  reigned  in  the 
building.  During  this  time,  the  girl  stood  at  the  foot  of 


365 


the  upper  ladder,  the  trap  which  led  to  the  lower  opening 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  floor  ;  the  eyes  of  Mabel  were 
riveted  on  this  spot,  for  she  now  began  to  expect  to  see  at 
each  instant,  the  horrible  sight  of  a  savage  face  at  the  hole. 
This  apprehension  soon  became  so  intense,  that  she  looked 
about  her  for  a  place  of  concealment.  The  procrastination 
of  the  catastrophe  she  now  fully  expected,  though  it  were 
only  for  a  moment,  afforded  a  relief.  The  room  contained 
several  barrels,  and  behind  two  of  these  Mabel  crouched, 
placing  her  eyes  at  an  opening  by  which  she  could  still 
watch  the  trap.  She  made  another  effort  to  pray,  but  the 
moment  was  too  horrible  for  that  relief.  She  thought,  too, 
that  she  heard  a  low  rustling,  as  if  one  were  ascending  the 
lower  ladder,  with  an  effort  at  caution  so  great  as  to  betray 
itself  by  its  own  excess  ;  then  followed  a  creaking  that  she 
was  certain  came  from  one  of  the  steps  of  the  ladder,  which 
had  made  the  same  noise  under  her  own  light  weight,  as 
she  ascended.  This  was  one  of  those  instants  into  which 
are  compressed  the  sensations  of  years  of  ordinary  existence. 
Life,  death,  eternity,  and  extreme  bodily  pain,  were  all 
standing  out  in  bold  relief,  from  the  plane  of  every-day 
occurrences  ;  and  she  might  have  been  taken,  at  that 
moment,  for  a  beautiful,  pallid  representation  of  herself, 
equally  without  motion,  and  without  vitality.  But,  while 
such  was  the  outward  appearance  of  the  form,  never  had 
there  been  a  time  in  her  brief  career,  when  Mabel  heard 
more  acutely,  saw  more  clearly,  or  felt  more  vividly.  As 
yet,  nothing  was  visible  at  the  trap  ;  but  her  eyes,  rendered 
exquisitely  sensitive  by  intense  feeling,  distinctly  acquainted 
her  that  some  one  was  within  a  few  inches  of  the  opening  of 
the  floor  ;  next  followed  the  evidence  of  her  eyes,  which 
beheld  the  dark  hair  of  an  Indian  rising  so  slowly  through 
the  passage,  that  the  movements  of  the  head  might  be 
likened  to  that  of  the  minute-hand  of  a  clock  ;  then  came 
the  dark  skin  and  wild  features,  until  the  whole  of  the 
swarthy  face  had  risen  above  the  floor.  The  human  counte- 
nance seldom  appears  to  advantage  when  partially  concealed, 
and  Mabel  imagined  many  additional  horrors  as  she  first 


366 


saw  the  black,  roving  eyes,  and  the  expression  of  wildness, 
as  the  savage  countenance  was  revealed,  as  it  might  be,  inch 
by  inch  ;  but  when  the  entire  head  was  risen  above  the  floor, 
a  second  and  better  look  assured  our  heroine  that  she  saw 
the  gentle,  anxious,  and  even  handsome  face,  of  June. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

"  Spectre  though  I  be, 
I  am  not  sent  to  scare  thee  or  deceive ; 
But  in  reward  of  thy  fidelity." 

WORDSWORTH. 

IT  would  be  difficult  to  say  which  evinced  the  most  satis- 
faction, when  Mabel  sprang  to  her  feet  and  appeared 
in  the  centre  of  the  room — our  heroine  on  finding  that 
her  visitor  was  the  wife  of  Arrowhead,  and  not  Arrow- 
head himself,  or  June,  at  discovering  that  her  advice  had 
been  followed,  and  that  the  block-house  contained  the  per- 
son she  had  so  anxiously  and  almost  hopelessly  sought. 
They  embraced  each  other,  and  the  unsophisticated  Tusca- 
rora  woman  laughed  in  her  sweet  accents,  as  she  held  her 
friend  at  arm's  length,  and  made  certain  of  her  presence. 

"Block-house  good,"  said  the  young  Indian;  "got  no 
scalp." 

"  It  is  indeed  good,  June,"  Mabel  answered,  with  a  shud- 
der, veiling  her  eyes  at  the  same  time,  as  if  to  shut  out  a 
view  of  the  horrors  she  had  so  lately  witnessed.  "  Tell  me, 
for  God's  sake  !  if  you  know  what  has  become  of  my  dear 
uncle  ?  I  have  looked  in  all  directions  without  being  able 
to  see  him." 

' '  No  here,  in  block-house  ? ' '  June  asked,  with  some 
curiosity. 

"Indeed  he  is  not — I  am  quite  alone  in  this  place; 
Jennie,  the  woman  who  was  with  me,  having  rushed  out  to 
join  her  husband,  and  perishing  for  her  imprudence." 

"  June  know — June  see,  very  bad  ;  Arrowhead  no  feel  for 
any  wife — no  feel  for  his  own." 


368  tlbe  patbfinber 


"  Ah  !  June,  your  life,  at  least,  is  safe  !  " 

"  Don't  know — Arrowhead  kill  me  if  he  know  all." 

' '  God  bless  and  protect  you,  June  ;  He  will  bless  and  pro- 
tect you  for  your  humanity.  Tell  me  what  is  to  be  done, 
and  if  my  poor  uncle  is  still  living  ?  ' ' 

"  Don't  know.  Salt-water  has  boat ;  maybe  he  go  on 
river." 

"  The  boat  is  still  on  the  shore,  but  neither  my  uncle  nor 
the  quartermaster  is  anywhere  to  be  seen." 

"  No  kill,  or  June  would  see.  Hide  away.  Redman 
hide  ;  no  shame  for  pale-face." 

"It  is  not  the  shame  that  I  fear  for  them,  but  the  oppor- 
tunity. Your  attack  was  awfully  sudden,  June  !  " 

' '  Tuscarora  ! ' '  returned  the  other,  smiling  with  exulta- 
tion at  the  dexterity  of  her  husband.  "Arrowhead  great 
warrior  ! ' ' 

"  You  are  too  good  and  gentle  for  this  sort  of  life,  June  ; 
you  cannot  be  happy  in  such  scenes  ! ' ' 

June's  countenance  grew  clouded,  and  Mabel  fancied  there 
was  some  of  the  savage  fire  of  a  chief  in  her  brow  as  she 
answered, — '• 

"  Yengeese  too  greedy — take  away  all  hunting-grounds 
— chase  Six  Nation  from  morning  to  night ;  wicked  king — 
wicked  people.  Pale- face  very  bad." 

Mabel  knew  that,  even  in  that  distant  day,  there  was  much 
truth  in  this  opinion,  though  she  was  too  well  instructed  not 
to  understand  that  the  monarch,  in  this  as  in  a  thousand 
other  cases,  was  blamed  for  acts  of  which  he  was  most 
probably  ignorant.  She  felt  the  justice  of  the  rebuke, 
therefore,  too  much  to  attempt  an  answer,  and  her  thoughts 
naturally  reverted  to  her  own  situation. 

"And  what  am  I  to  do,  June?"  she  demanded.  "It 
cannot  be  long  before  your  people  will  assault  this  building. 

"Block-house  good — got  no  scalp." 

"  But  they  will  soon  discover  that  it  has  got  no  garrison, 
too,  if  they  do  not  know  it  already.  You  yourself  told  me 
the  number  of  people  that  were  on  the  island,  and  doubtless 
you  learned  it  from  Arrowhead." 

"Arrowhead  know,"  answered  June,  holding  up  six  fin- 


TTbe  fl>atbfin&er  369 


gers  to  indicate  the  number  of  the  men.  ' '  All  redmen  know. 
Four  lose  scalp  already — two  got  'em  yet !  " 

' '  Do  not  speak  of  it,  June ;  the  horrid  thought  curdles 
my  blood.  Your  people  cannot  know  that  I  am  alone  in 
the  block-house,  but  may  fancy  my  uncle  and  the  quarter- 
master with  me,  and  may  set  fire  to  the  building,  in  order 
to  dislodge  them.  They  tell  me  that  fire  is  the  great  danger 
to  such  places." 

"  No  burn  block-house,"  said  June,  quietly. 

' '  You  cannot  know  that,  my  good  June,  and  I  have  no 
means  to  keep  them  off." 

"  No  burn  block-house.  Block-house  good — got  no  scalp." 

"  But  tell  me  why,  June  ;  I  fear  they  will  burn  it !  " 

' '  Block-house  wet — much  rain — logs  green — no  burn 
easy.  Redman  know  it — fine  t'ing ;  then  no  burn  it  to 
tell  Yengeese  that  Iroquois  been  there.  Fader  come  back, 
miss  block-house,  no  found.  No,  no  ;  Injin  too  much  cun- 
ning ;  no  touch  anything." 

' '  I  understand  you,  June,  and  hope  your  prediction  may 
be  true ;  for  as  regards  my  dear  father,  should  he  escape — 
perhaps  he  is  already  dead  or  captured,  June  ?  " 

"  No  touch  fader — don't  know  where  he  gone  ;  water  got 
no  trail — redman  can't  follow.  No  burn  block-house — block- 
house good — got  no  scalp." 

1 '  Do  you  think  it  possible  for  me  to  remain  here  safely 
until  my  father  returns  ? ' ' 

"  Don't  know7 — daughter  tell  best,  when  fader  comeback." 

Mabel  felt  uneasy  at  the  glance  of  June's  dark  eye,  as  she 
uttered  this,  for  the  unpleasant  surmise  arose  that  her  com- 
panion was  endeavoring  to  discover  a  fact  that  might  be  use- 
ful to  her  own  people,  while  it  would  lead  to  the  destruction 
of  her  parent  and  his  party.  She  was  about  to  make  an 
evasive  answer,  when  a  heavy  push  at  the  outer  door  sud- 
denly drew  all  her  thoughts  to  the  immediate  danger. 

"  They  come  !  "  she  exclaimed  ;  "  perhaps,  June,  it  is  my 
uncle,  or  the  quartermaster.  I  cannot  keep  out  even  Mr. 
Muir  at  a  moment  like  this." 

"  Why  no  look  ?  plenty  loop-hole — made  purpose." 

Mabel  took  the  hint,  ana  going  to  one  of  the  downward 


370  ttbe  jpatbfinfcer 


loops  that  had  been  cut  through  the  logs  in  the  part  that 
overhung  the  basement,  she  cautiously  raised  the  little  block 
that  ordinarily  filled  the  small  hole,  and  caught  a  glance  at 
what  was  passing  at  the  door.  The  start  and  changing 
countenance  told  her  companion  that  some  of  her  own  peo- 
ple were  below. 

"Redman,"  said  June,  lifting  a  finger  in  admonition  to 
be  prudent. 

"Four;  and  horrible  in  their  paint  and  bloody  trophies. 
Arrowhead  is  among  them." 

June  had  moved  to  a  corner  where  several  spare  rifles  were 
deposited,  and  had  already  taken  one  into  her  hand,  when 
the  name  of  her  husband  appeared  to  arrest  her  movements. 
It  was  but  for  an  instant,  however,  for  she  immediately  went 
to  the  loop,  and  was  about  to  thrust  the  muzzle  of  the  piece 
through  it,  when  a  feeling  of  natural  aversion  induced  Mabel 
to  seize  her  arm. 

"No,  no,  no,  June,"  said  the  latter;  "not  against  your 
own  husband,  though  my  life  be  the  penalty." 

' '  No  hurt  Arrowhead, ' '  returned  June,  with  a  slight 
shudder;  "no  hurt  redman  at  all.  No  fire  at 'em — only 
scare." 

Mabel  now  comprehended  the  intention  of  June,  and  no 
longer  opposed  it.  The  latter  thrust  the  muzzle  of  the  rifle 
through  the  loop-hole,  and  taking  care  to  make  noise  enough 
to  attract  attention,  she  pulled  the  trigger.  The  piece  had 
no  sooner  been  discharged  than  Mabel  reproached  her  friend 
for  the  very  act  that  was  intended  to  serve  her. 

"  You  declared  it  was  not  your  intention  to  fire,"  she  said, 
"  and  you  may  have  destroyed  your  own  husband." 

"All  run  away  before  I  fire,"  returned  June,  laughing, 
and  going  to  another  loop  to  watch  the  movements  of  her 
friends,  laughing  still  heartier.  "  See — get  cover — every 
warrior.  Think  Salt-water  and  quartermaster  here.  Take 
good  care  now." 

"  Heaven  be  praised  !  And  now,  June,  I  may  hope  for  a 
little  time  to  compose  my  thoughts  to  prayer,  that  I  may  not 
die  like  Jennie,  thinking  only  of  life  and  the  things  of  the 
world." 


ZTbe  patfoffnfcer  37i 


June  laid  aside  the  rifle,  and  came  and  seated  herself  near 
the  box  on  which  Mabel  had  sunk,  under  that  physical  reac- 
tion which  accompanies  joy  as  well  as  sorrow.  She  looked 
steadily  in  our  heroine's  face,  and  the  latter  thought  that  her 
countenance  had  an  expression  of  severity  mingled  with  its 
concern. 

"Arrowhead  great  warrior,"  said  the  Tuscarora's  wife. 
"All  the  gals  of  tribe  look  at  him  much.  The  pale-face 
beauty  has  eyes  too  ? ' ' 

"June!  what  do  these  words — that  look  imply?  what 
would  you  say?" 

' '  Why  you  so  '  fraid  June  shoot  Arrowhead  ? ' ' 

' '  Would  it  not  have  been  horrible  to  see  a  wife  destroy 
her  own  husband  !  No,  June ;  rather  would  I  have  died 
myself." 

' '  Very  sure,  dat  all !  " 

"That  was  all,  June,  as  God  is  my  judge;  and  surely 
that  was  enough.  No,  no  ;  there  have  been  sufficient  hor- 
rors to-day,  without  increasing  them  by  an  act  like  this. 
What  other  motive  can  you  suspect  ? ' ' 

"  Don't  know.  Poor  Tuscarora  gal  very  foolish.  Arrow- 
head great  chief,  and  look  all  around  him.  Talk  of  pale-face 
beauty  in  his  sleep.  Great  chief  like  many  wives." 

' '  Can  a  chief  possess  more  than  one  wife,  June,  among 
your  people  ?  ' ' 

' '  Have  as  many  as  he  can  keep — great  hunter  marry  often. 
Arrowhead  got  only  June  now,  but  he  look  too  much — see 
too  much — talk  too  much  of  pale- face  gal !  " 

Mabel  was  conscious  of  this  fact,  which  had  distressed  her 
not  a  little  in  the  course  of  their  journey  ;  but  it  shocked  her 
to  hear  this  allusion,  coming,  as  it  did,  from  the  mouth  of 
the  wife  herself.  She  knew  that  habit  and  opinions  made 
great  differences  in  such  matters,  but,  in  addition  to  the  pain 
and  mortification  she  experienced  at  being  the  unwilling 
rival  of  a  wife,  she  felt  an  apprehension  that  jealousy  would 
be  but  an  equivocal  guarantee  for  her  personal  safety,  in  her 
present  situation.  A  closer  look  at  June,  however,  reassured 
her  ;  for  while  it  was  easy  to  trace  in  the  unpractised  features 
of  this  unsophisticated  being,  the  pain  of  blighted  affections, 


372  TTbe  patbfmfcer 


no  distrust  could  have  tortured  the  earnest  expression  of  her 
honest  countenance  into  that  of  treachery  or  hate. 

"You  will  not  betray  me,  June?  "  Mabel  said,  pressing 
the  other's  hand,  and  yielding  to  an  impulse  of  generous 
confidence.  ' '  You  will  not  give  up  one  of  your  own  sex  to 
the  tomahawk?" 

"  No  tomahawk  touch  you.  Arrowhead  no  let'em.  If 
June  must  have  sister- wife,  love  to  have  you." 

"  No,  June  ;  my  religion,  my  feelings,  both  forbid  it  ;  and, 
if  I  could  be  the  wife  of  an  Indian  at  all,  I  would  never  take 
the  place  that  is  yours,  in  a  wigwam." 

June  made  no  answer,  but  she  looked  gratified,  even  grate- 
ful. She  knew  that  few,  perhaps  no  Indian  girl,  within  the 
circle  of  Arrowhead's  acquaintance,  would  compare  with 
herself  in  personal  attractions  ;  and  though  it  might  suit  her 
husband  to  marry  a  dozen  wives,  she  knew  of  no  one,  beside 
Mabel,  whose  influence  she  could  really  dread.  So  keen  an 
interest,  however,  had  she  taken  in  the  beauty,  winning 
manners,  kindness,  and  feminine  gentleness  of  our  heroine, 
that  when  jealousy  came  to  chill  these  feelings,  it  had  rather 
lent  strength  to  that  interest,  and,  under  its  wayward  influ- 
ence, had  actually  been  one  of  the  strongest  of  the  incentives 
that  had  induced  her  to  risk  so  much,  in  order  to  save  her 
imaginary  rival  from  the  consequences  of  the  attack  that  she 
so  well  knew  was  about  to  take  place.  In  a  word,  June, 
with  a  wife's  keenness  of  perception,  had  detected  Arrow- 
head's admiration  of  Mabel ;  and  instead  of  feeling  that  har- 
rc-wing  jealousy  that  might  have  rendered  her  rival  hateful, 
as  would  have  been  apt  to  be  the  case  with  a  woman  unac- 
customed to  defer  to  the  superior  rights  of  the  lordly  sex,  she 
had  studied  the  looks  and  character  of  the  pale-face  beauty, 
until,  meeting  with  nothing  to  repel  her  own  feelings,  but 
everything  to  encourage  them,  she  had  got  to  entertain  an 
admiration  and  love  for  her,  which,  though  certainly  very 
different,  was  scarcely  less  strong  than  that  of  her  husband. 
Arrowhead  himself  had  sent  her  to  warn  Mabel  of  the  com- 
ing danger,  though  he  was  ignorant  that  she  had  stolen 
upon  the  island  in  the  rear  of  the  assailants,  and  was  now  in- 
trenched in  the  citadel  along  with  the  object  of  their  joint 


patbfinfcer  373 


care.  On  the  contrary,  he  supposed,  as  his  wife  had  said, 
that  Cap  and  Muir  were  in  the  block-house  with  Mabel,  and 
that  the  attempt  to  repel  him  and  his  companions  had  been 
made  by  the  men. 

"June  sorry  the  Lily  " — for  so  the  Indian,  in  her  poetical 
language,  had  named  our  heroine — "June  sorry  the  Lily 
no  marry  Arrowhead.  His  wigwam  big,  and  a  great  chief 
must  get  enough  wifes  to  fill  it." 

' '  I  thank  you,  June,  for  this  preference,  which  is  not 
according  to  the  notions  of  us  white  women,"  returned 
Mabel,  smiling  in  spite  of  the  fearful  situation  in  which  she 
was  placed  ;  "but  I  may  not,  probably  never  shall,  marry 
at  all." 

"Must  have  good  husband,"  said  June;  "marry  Eau- 
douce,  if  don't  like  Arrowhead." 

"June  !  this  is  not  a  fit  subject  for  a  girl  who  scarce 
knows  if  she  is  to  live  another  hour  or  not.  I  would 
obtain  some  signs  of  my  dear  uncle's  being  alive  and  safe, 
if  possible." 

"June  go  see." 

"Can  you? — will  you?  would  it  be  safe  for  you  to  be 
seen  on  the  island? — is  your  presence  known  to  the  war- 
riors ?  and  would  they  be  pleased  to  find  a  woman  on  the 
war-path  with  them  ?  ' ' 

All  this  Mabel  asked  in  rapid  connection,  fearing  that  the 
answer  might  not  be  as  she  wished.  She  had  thought  it 
extraordinary  that  June  should  be  of  the  party,  and,  improb- 
able as  it  seemed,  she  had  fancied  that  the  woman  had  cov- 
ertly followed  the  Iroquois  in  her  own  canoe,  and  had  got 
in  their  advance,  merely  to  give  her  the  notice  which  had 
probably  saved  her  life.  But  in  all  this  she  was  mistaken, 
as  June,  in  her  imperfect  manner,  now  found  means  to  let 
her  know. 

Arrowhead,  though  a  chief,  was  in  disgrace  with  his  own 
people,  and  was  acting  with  the  Iroquois  temporarily, 
though  with  a  perfect  understanding.  He  had  a  wigwam, 
it  is  true,  but  was  seldom  in  it ;  feigning  friendship  for  the 
English,  he  had  passed  the  summer  ostensibly  in  their 
service,  while  he  was,  in  truth,  acting  for  the  French,  and 


374 


his  wife  journeyed  with  him  in  his  many  migrations,  most 
of  the  distances  being  passed  over  in  canoes.  In  a  word, 
her  presence  was  no  secret,  her  husband  seldom  moving 
without  her.  Enough  of  this  to  embolden  Mabel  to  wish 
that  her  friend  might  go  out,  to  ascertain  the  fate  of  her 
uncle,  did  June  succeed  in  letting  the  other  know ;  and  it 
was  soon  settled  between  them,  that  the  Indian  woman 
should  quit  the  block-house  with  that  object,  the  moment 
a  favorable  opportunity  offered. 

They  first  examined  the  island,  as  thoroughly  as  their 
position  would  allow,  from  the  different  loops,  and  found 
that  its  conquerors  were  preparing  for  a  feast,  having  seized 
upon  the  provisions  of  the  English,  and  rifled  the  huts. 
Most  of  the  stores  were  in  the  block-house,  but  enough 
were  found  outside  to  reward  the  Indians  for  an  attack 
attended  by  so  little  risk.  A  party  had  already  removed 
the  dead  bodies,  and  Mabel  saw  that  their  arms  were  col- 
lected in  a  pile,  near  the  spot  chosen  for  the  banquet. 
June  suggested  that,  by  some  signs  she  understood,  the 
dead  themselves  were  carried  into  a  thicket,  and  either 
buried  or  concealed  from  view.  None  of  the  more  promi- 
nent objects  on  the  island,  however,  were  disturbed,  it 
being  the  desire  of  the  conquerors  to  lure  the  party  of  the 
sergeant  into  an  ambush,  on  its  return.  June  made  her 
companion  observe  a  man  in  a  tree,  a  lookout,  as  she  said, 
to  give  timely  notice  of  the  approach  of  any  boat,  although 
the  departure  of  the  expedition  being  so  recent,  nothing  but 
some  unexpected  event  would  be  likely  to  bring  it  back  so 
soon.  There  did  not  appear  to  be  any  design  to  attack  the 
block-house  immediately ;  but  every  indication,  as  under- 
stood by  June,  rather  showed  that  it  was  the  intention  of 
the  Indians  to  keep  it  besieged  until  the  return  of  the 
sergeant's  party,  lest  the  signs  of  an  assault  should  give 
a  warning  to  eyes  as  practised  as  those  of  Pathfinder.  The 
boat,  however,  had  been  secured,  and  was  removed  to  the 
spot  where  the  canoes  of  the  Indians  were  hid  in  the  bushes. 

June  now  announced  her  intention  of  joining  her  friends, 
the  moment  being  particularly  favorable  for  her  to  quit  the 
block-house.  Mabel  felt  some  distrust  as  they  descended 


Ube  patbffn&er  375 


the  ladder;  but,  at  the  next  instant,  she  was  ashamed  of 
the  feeling  as  unjust  to  her  companion,  and  unworthy  of 
herself:  and  by  the  time  they  both  stood  on  the  ground, 
her  confidence  was  restored.  The  process  of  unbarring  the 
door  was  conducted  with  the  utmost  caution  ;  and  when  the 
last  bar  was  ready  to  be  turned,  June  took  her  station  near 
the  spot  where  the  opening  must  necessarily  be.  The  bar 
was  just  turned  free  of  the  brackets — the  door  was  opened 
merely  wide  enough  to  allow  her  body  to  pass,  and  June 
glided  through  the  space.  Mabel  closed  the  door  again, 
with  a  convulsive  movement ;  and  as  the  bar  turned  into 
its  place,  her  heart  beat  audibly.  She  then  felt  secure,  and 
the  two  other  bars  were  turned  down  in  a  more  deliberate 
manner.  When  all  was  fast  again,  she  ascended  to  the  first 
floor,  where  alone  she  could  get  a  glimpse  of  what  was 
going  on  without. 

Long  and  painfully  melancholy  hours  passed,  during  which 
Mabel  had  no  intelligence  from  June.  She  heard  the  yells 
of  the  savages,  for  liquor  had  carried  them  beyond  the 
bounds  of  precaution  ;  occasionally  caught  glimpses  of  their 
mad  orgies  through  the  loops,  and  at  all  times  was  conscious 
of  their  fearful  presence,  by  sounds  and  sights  that  would 
have  chilled  the  blood  of  one  who  had  not  so  lately  wit- 
nessed scenes  so  much  more  terrible.  Towards  the  middle 
of  the  day,  she  fancied  she  saw  a  white  man  on  the  island, 
though  his  dress  and  wild  appearance  at  first  made  her 
take  him  for  a  newly  arrived  savage.  A  view  of  his  face, 
although  it  was  swarthy  naturally,  and  much  darkened  by 
exposure,  left  no  doubt  that  her  conjecture  was  true  ;  and 
she  felt  as  if  there  was  now  one  of  a  species  more  like  her 
own  present,  and  one  to  whom  she  might  appeal  for  succor 
in  the  last  emergency.  Mabel  little  knew,  alas  !  how  small 
was  the  influence  exercised  by  the  whites  over  their  savage 
allies,  when  the  latter  had  begun  to  taste  of  blood  ;  or  how 
slight,  indeed,  was  the  disposition  to  divert  them  from  their 
cruelties. 

The  day  seemed  a  month,  by  Mabel's  computation ;  and 
the  only  part  of  it  that  did  not  drag  were  the  minutes  spent 
in  prayer.  She  had  recourse  to  this  relief  from  time  to  time  ; 


376  Ube  patbfinfter 


and  at  each  effort  she  found  her  spirit  firmer,  her  mind  more 
tranquil,  and  her  tendency  to  resignation  more  confirmed. 
She  understood  the  reasoning  of  June,  and  believed  it  highly 
probable  that  the  block-house  would  be  left  unmolested  until 
the  return  of  her  father,  in  order  to  entice  him  into  an  am- 
buscade ;  and  she  felt  much  less  apprehension  of  immediate 
danger,  in  consequence.  But  the  future  offered  little  ground 
of  hope ;  and  her  thoughts  had  already  begun  to  calculate 
the  chances  of  her  captivity.  At  such  moments,  Arrowhead, 
and  his  offensive  admiration,  filled  a  prominent  place  in  the 
background ;  for  our  heroine  well  knew  that  the  Indians 
usually  carried  off  to  their  villages,  for  the  purposes  of  adop- 
tion, such  captives  as  they  did  not  slay  ;  and  that  many 
instances  had  occurred,  in  which  individuals  of  her  sex  had 
passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives  in  the  wigwams  of  their 
conquerors.  Such  thoughts  as  these  invariably  drove  her  to 
her  knees,  and  to  her  prayers. 

While  the  light  lasted,  the  situation  of  our  heroine  was 
sufficiently  alarming  ;  but  as  the  shades  of  evening  gradually 
gathered  over  the  island,  it  became  fearfully  appalling.  By 
this  time,  the  savages  had  wrought  themselves  up  to  the 
point  of  fury,  for  they  possessed  themselves  of  all  the  liquor 
of  the  English,  and  their  outcries  and  gesticulations  were 
those  of  men  truly  possessed  of  evil  spirits.  All  the  efforts 
of  their  French  leader  to  restrain  them  were  entirely  fruitless, 
and  he  had  wisely  withdrawn  to  an  adjacent  island,  where 
he  had  a  sort  of  bivouac,  that  he  might  keep  at  a  safe  dis- 
tance from  friends  so  apt  to  run  into  excesses.  Before  quit- 
ting the  spot,  however,  this  officer,  at  great  risk  to  his  own 
life,  succeeded  in  extinguishing  the  fire,  and  in  securing  the 
ordinary  means  to  relight  it.  This  precaution  he  took,  lest 
the  Indians  should  burn  the  block-house,  the  preservation 
of  which  was  necessary  to  the  success  of  his  future  plans. 
He  would  gladly  have  removed  all  the  arms  also,  but  this  he 
found  impracticable,  the  warriors  clinging  to  their  knives 
and  tomahawks  with  the  tenacity  of  men  who  regarded  a 
point  of  honor,  as  long  as  a  faculty  was  left ;  and  to  carry  off 
the  rifles,  and  leave  behind  him  the  very  weapons  that  were 
generally  used  on  such  occasions,  would  have  been  an  idle 


TTbe  jpatbfinfcer  377 


expedient.  The  extinguishing  of  the  fire  proved  to  be  the 
most  prudent  measure,  for  no  sooner  was  the  officer's  back 
turned,  than  one  of  the  warriors,  in  fact,  proposed  to  fire  the 
block-house.  Arrowhead  had  also  withdrawn  from  the 
group  of  drunkards,  as  soon  as  he  found  that  they  were 
losing  their  senses,  and  had  taken  possession  of  a  hut,  where 
he  had  thrown  himself  on  the  straw,  and  sought  the  rest  that 
two  wakeful  and  watchful  nights  rendered  necessary.  It 
followed  that  no  one  was  left  among  the  Indians  to  care  for 
Mabel,  if  indeed  any  knew  of  her  existence  at  all ;  and  the 
proposal  of  the  drunkard  was  received  with  yells  of  delight 
by  eight  or  ten  more,  as  much  intoxicated  and  habitually  as 
brutal  as  himself. 

This  was  the  fearful  moment  for  Mabel.  The  Indians,  in 
their  present  condition,  were  reckless  of  any  rifles  that  the 
block-house  might  hold  ;  though  they  did  retain  dim  recol- 
lections of  its  containing  living  beings,  an  additional  incen- 
tive to  their  enterprise,  and  they  approached  its  base  whooping 
and  leaping  like  demons.  As  yet  they  were  excited,  not 
overcome  by  the  liquor  they  had  drunk.  The  first  attempt 
was  made  at  the  door,  against  which  they  ran  in  a  body  ;  but 
the  solid  structure,  which  was  built  entirely  of  logs,  defied 
their  efforts.  The  rush  of  a  hundred  men,  with  the  same 
object,  would  have  been  useless.  This  Mabel,  however,  did 
not  know,  and  her  heart  seemed  to  leap  into  her  mouth,  as 
she  heard  the  heavy  shock,  at  each  renewed  effort.  At 
length,  when  she  found  that  the  door  resisted  these  assaults 
as  if  it  were  of  stone,  neither  trembling  nor  yielding,  and 
only  betraying  its  not  being  a  part  of  the  wall  by  rattling  a 
little  on  its  heavy  hinges,  her  courage  revived,  and  she 
seized  the  first  moment  of  a  cessation,  to  look  down  through 
the  loop,  in  order,  if  possible,  to  learn  the  extent  of  her 
danger.  A  silence,  for  which  it  was  not  easy  to  account, 
stimulated  her  curiosity,  for  nothing  is  so  alarming  to  those 
who  are  conscious  of  the  presence  of  imminent  danger,  as  to 
be  unable  to  trace  its  approach. 

Mabel  found  that  two  or  three  of  the  Iroquois  had  been 
raking  the  embers,  where  they  had  found  a  few  small  coals, 
and  with  these  they  were  endeavoring  to  light  a  fire.  The 


J 


37s  Ube  patbfinfcer 


interest  with  which  they  labored,  the  hope  of  destroying, 
and  the  force  of  habit,  enabled  them  to  act  intelligently  and 
in  unison,  so  long  as  their  fell  object  was  kept  in  view.     A 
white  man  would  have  abandoned  the  attempt  to  light  a  fire 
in  despair,  with  coals  that  came  out  of  the  ashes  resembling 
sparks  ;  but  these  children  of  the  forests  had  many  expedi- 
ents that  were  unknown  to  civilization.     By  the  aid  of  a  few 
dry  leaves,  which  they  alone  knew  where  to  seek,  a  blaze 
was  finally  kindled,  and  then  the  addition  of  a  few  light 
sticks  made  sure  of  the  advantage  that  had  been  obtained. 
When  Mabel  stooped  down  over  the  loop,  the  Indians  were 
making  a  pile  of  brush  against  the  door,  and  as  she  remained 
gazing  at  their  proceedings,  she  saw  the  twigs  ignite,  the 
flame  dart  from  branch  to  branch,  until  the  whole  pile  was 
cracking  and  snapping  under  a  bright  blaze.     The  Indians 
now  gave  a  yell  of  triumph,  and  returned  to  their  compan- 
ions, well  assured  that  the  work  of  destruction  was  com- 
menced.    Mabel  remained  looking  down,  scarcely  able  to 
tear  herself  away  from  the  spot,  so  intense  and  engrossing 
was  the  interest  she  felt  in  the  progress  of  the  fire.     As  the 
pile  kindled  throughout,  however,  the  flames  mounted,  until 
they  flashed  so  near  her  eyes  as  to  compel  her  to  retreat. 
Just  as  she  reached  the  opposite  side  of  the  room,  to  which 
she  had  retired  in  her  alarm,  a  forked  stream  shot  up  through 
the  loop-hole,  the  lid  of  which  she  had  left  open,  and  illu- 
minated the  rude  apartment,  with  Mabel  and  her  desolation. 
Our  heroine  now  naturally  enough  supposed  that  her  hour 
was  come,  for  the  door,  the  only  means  of  retreat,  had  been 
blocked  up  by  the  brush  and  fire,  with  hellish  ingenuity,  and 
she  addressed  herself,  as  she  believed  for  the  last  time,  to  her 
Maker  in  prayer.     Her  eyes  were  closed,  and  for  more  than 
a  minute  her  spirit  was  abstracted  ;  but  the  interests  of  the 
world  too  strongly  divided  her  feelings  to  be  altogether  sup- 
pressed; and  when  they  involuntarily  opened  again,    she 
perceived  that  the  streak  of  flame  was  no  longer  flaring  in 
the  room,  though  the  wood  around  the  little  aperture  had 
kindled,  and  the  blaze  was  slowly  mounting  under  the  im- 
pulsion of  a  current  of  air  that  sucked  inward.     A  barrel  of 
water  stood  in  a  corner,  and  Mabel,  acting  more  by  instinct 


jpatbfinfcer  379 


than  by  reason,  caught  up  a  vessel,  filled  it,  and  pouring  it 
on  the  wood  with  a  trembling  hand,  succeeded  in  extinguish- 
ing the  fire  at  that  particular  spot.  The  smoke  prevented 
her  from  looking  down  again,  for  a  couple  of  minutes ;  but 
when  she  did,  her  heart  beat  high  with  delight  and  hope,  at 
finding  that  the  pile  of  blazing  brush  had  been  overturned 
and  scattered,  and  that  water  had  been  thrown  on  the 
logs  of  the  door,  which  were  still  smoking,  though  no  longer 
burning. 

' '  Who  is  there  ?  ' '  said  Mabel,  with  her  mouth  at  the  loop. 
' '  What  friendly  hand  has  a  merciful  Providence  sent  to  my 
succor  ? ' ' 

A  light  footstep  was  audible  below,  and  one  of  those  gentle 
pushes  at  the  door  was  heard,  which  just  moved  the  massive 
beams  on  the  hinges. 

' '  Who  wishes  to  enter  ?     Is  it  you,  dear,  dear  uncle  ?  ' ' 

' '  Salt-water  no  here.  St.  L/awrence  sweet  water, ' '  was  the 
answer.  "  Open  quick — want  to  come  in." 

The  step  of  Mabel  was  never  lighter,  or  her  movements 
more  quick  and  natural,  than  while  she  was  descending  the 
ladder  and  turning  the  bars,  for  all  her  motions  were  earnest 
and  active.  This  time  she  thought  only  of  her  escape,  and 
she  opened  the  door  with  a  rapidity  that  did  not  admit  of 
caution.  Her  first  impulse  was  to  rush  into  the  open  air, 
in  the  blind  hope  of  quitting  the  block-house,  but  June  re- 
pulsed the  attempt,  and  entering,  she  coolly  barred  the  door 
again,  before  she  would  notice  Mabel's  eager  efforts  to  em- 
brace her. 

' '  Bless  you — bless  you,  June  ! ' '  cried  our  heroine  most  fer- 
vently ;  ' '  you  are  sent  by  Providence  to  be  my  guardian 
angel  !  " 

"No  hug  so  tight,"  answered  the  Tuscarora  woman. 
"  Pale- face  woman  all  cry,  or  all  laugh.  Let  June  fasten 
door. ' ' 

Mabel  became  more  rational,  and  in  a  few  moments  the  two 
were  again  in  the  upper  room,  seated  as  before,  hand  in  hand, 
all  feeling  of  distrust  or  rivalry  between  them  being  banished, 
on  the  one  side  by  the  consciousness  of  favors  received,  and 
on  the  other  by  the  consciousness  of  favors  conferred. 


38o  TEbe  patbfinfcer 


"Now  tell  me,  June,"  Mabel  commenced,  as  soon  as  she 
had  given  and  received  one  warm  embrace,  ' '  have  you  seen 
or  heard  aught  of  my  poor  uncle  ?  " 

"Don't  know.  No  one  see  him;  no  one  hear  him  ;  no 
one  know  anyt'ing.  Salt-water  run  into  river,  I  t'ink,  for  I 
no  find  him.  Quartermaster  gone  too.  I  look,  and  look, 
and  look ;  but  no  see  'em,  one,  t'  other,  nowhere." 

"  Blessed  be  God  !  They  must  have  escaped,  though  the 
means  are  not  known  to  us.  I  thought  I  saw  a  Frenchman 
on  the  island,  June?  " 

"  Yes  ;  French  captain  come,  but  he  go  away,  too.  Plenty 
of  Injin  on  island. ' ' 

"  O  !  June,  June,  are  there  no  means  to  prevent  my  be- 
loved father  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies  ?  ' ' 

"Don't  know;  t'ink  dat  warriors  wait  in  ambush,  and 
Yengeese  must  lose  scalp." 

"  Surely,  surely,  June,  you,  who  have  done  so  much  for  the 
daughter,  will  not  refuse  to  help  the  father  !  " 

"  Don't  know  fader — don't  love  fader.  June  help  her  own 
people,  help  Arrowhead  ;  husband  love  scalp." 

"June,  this  is  not  yourself!  I  cannot,  will  not  believe 
that  you  wish  to  see  our  men  murdered  ! ' ' 

June  turned  her  dark  eyes  quietly  on  Mabel,  and,  for  a  mo- 
ment, her  look  was  stern,  though  it  soon  changed  into  one 
of  melancholy  compassion. 

"  Lily  Yengeese  gal  ?  "  she  said,  as  one  asks  a 
question. 

"  Certainly,  and  as  a  Yengeese  girl,  I  would  save  my 
countrymen  from  slaughter." 

"  VerY  good — if  can.  June  no  Yengeese  ;  June  Tuscarora 
— got  Tuscarora  husband — Tuscarora  heart — Tuscarora  feel- 
ing—all over  Tuscarora.  Lily  would  n't  run  and  tell  French 
dat  her  fader  was  coming  to  gain  victory  ?  ' ' 

"Perhaps  not,"  returned  Mabel,  pressing  a  hand  on  a 
brain  that  felt  bewildered,  "  perhaps  not ;  but  you  serve  me, 
aid  me,— have  saved  me,  June  !  Why  have  you  done  this, 
if  you  only  feel  as  a  Tuscarora  ?  " 

"Don't  only  feel  as  Tuscarora— feel  as  a  gal— feel  as 
squaw.  Love  pretty  Lily,  and  put  it  in  my  bosom." 


Ube  patbfinfcer  381 


Mabel  melted  into  tears,  and  she  pressed  the  affectionate 
creature  to  her  heart.  It  was  near  a  minute  before  she  could 
renew  the  discourse,  but  then  she  succeeded  in  speaking 
more  calmly  and  with  greater  coherence. 

"  L,et  me  know  the  worst,  June,"  she  said.  "To-night, 
your  people  are  feasting  ;  what  do  they  intend  to  do  to- 
morrow ?  ' ' 

"Don't  know — afraid  to  see  Arrowhead — afraid  to  ask 
question  ;  t'ink  hide  away,  till  Yengeese  come  back." 

' '  Will  they  not  attempt  anything  against  the  block- 
house? You  have  seen  what  they  can  threaten  if  they 
will?" 

"  Too  much  rum.  Arrowhead  sleep,  or  no  dare  ;  French 
captain  gone  away,  or  no  dare.  All  go  to  sleep,  now. ' ' 

"  And  you  think  I  am  safe  for  this  night,  at  least  ?  " 

"  Too  much  rum.  If  Lily  like  June,  might  do  much  for 
her  people." 

"  I  am  like  you,  June,  if  a  wish  to  serve  my  countrymen 
can  make  a  resemblance  with  one  as  courageous  as  your- 
self." 

"No,  no,  no,"  muttered  June,  in  a  low  voice;  "no  got 
heart,  and  June  no  let  you,  if  had.  June's  moder  prisoner 
once,  and  warriors  got  drunk  ;  moder  tomahawk' d  'em  all. 
Such  the  way  redskin  women  do,  when  people  in  danger  and 
want  scalp." 

"You  say  what  is  true,"  returned  Mabel,  shuddering,  and 
unconsciously  dropping  June's  hand.  "  I  cannot  do  that. 
I  have  neither  the  strength,  the  courage,  nor  the  will,  to  dip 
my  hands  in  blood." 

"T'ink  that  too  ;  then  stay  where  you  be — block-house 
good — got  no  scalp." 

' '  You  believe,  then,  that  I  am  safe  here,  at  least  until  my 
father  and  his  people  return  ?  ' ' 

' '  Know  so.  No  dare  touch  block-house  in  morning. 
Hark  !  all  still  now — drink  rum  till  head  fall  down,  and 
sleep  like  log." 

"Might  I  not  escape?  Are  there  not  several  canoes  on 
the  island  ? — might  I  not  get  one,  and  go  and  give  my  father 
notice  of  what  has  happened  ?  " 


jpatbffnfcer 


"Know  how  to  paddle?"  demanded  June,  glancing  her 
eye  furtively  at  her  companion. 

"  Not  so  well  as  yourself,  perhaps ;  but  enough  to  get  out 
of  sight  before  morning." 

' '  What  do  then  ? — could  n'  t  paddle  six — ten — eight  mile  ! ' ' 

"  I  do  not  know;  I  would  do  much  to  warn  my  father, 
and  the  excellent  Pathfinder,  and  all  the  rest,  of  the  danger 
they  are  in." 

"Like  Pathfinder?" 

"All  like  him  who  know  him;  you  would  like  him, 
nay,  love  him,  if  you  only  knew  his  heart ! ' ' 

"No  like  him  at  all.  Too  good  rifle — too  good  eye — too 
much  shoot  Iroquois,  and  June's  people.  Must  get  his  scalp 
if  can." 

"  And  I  must  save  it  if  I  can,  June.  In  this  respect,  then, 
we  are  opposed  to  each  other.  I  will  go  and  find  a  canoe 
the  instant  they  are  all  asleep,  and  quit  the  island." 

"No  can — June  won't  let  you.     Call  Arrowhead." 

"June  !  you  could  not  betray  me;  you  would  not  give 
me  up,  after  all  you  have  done  for  me  ? ' ' 

"Just  so,"  returned  June,  making  a  backward  gesture 
with  her  hand,  and  speaking  with  a  warmth  and  earnestness 
Mabel  had  never  witnessed  in  her  before.  "Call  Arrow- 
head in  loud  voice.  One  call  from  wife  wake  a  warrior  up. 
June  no  let  Lily  help  enemy — no  let  Injin  hurt  Lily." 

"  I  understand  you,  June  and  feel  the  nature  and  justice 
of  your  sentiments  ;  and  after  all,  it  were  better  that  I 
should  remain  here,  for  I  have  most  probably  overrated  my 
strength.  But  tell  me  one  thing ;  if  my  uncle  come  in  the 
night  and  ask  to  be  admitted,  you  will  let  me  open  the  door 
of  the  block-house  that  he  may  enter?  " 

"Sartain  ;  he  prisoner  here,  and  June  like  prisoner  better 
than  scalp  ;  scalp  good  for  honor,  prisoner  good  for  feeling. 
But  Salt-water  hide  so  close,  he  don't  know  where  he  be 
himself." 

Here  June  laughed  in  her  girlish,  mirthful  way,  for  to  her 
scenes  of  violence  were  too  familiar  to  leave  impressions 
sufficiently  deep  to  change  her  natural  character.  A  long 
and  discursive  dialogue  now  followed,  in  which  Mabel 


TTbe  patMnfcer  383 


endeavored  to  obtain  clearer  notions  of  her  actual  situation, 
under  a  faint  hope  that  she  might  possibly  be  enabled  to 
turn  some  of  the  facts  she  thus  learned  to  advantage.  June 
answered  all  her  interrogatories  simply,  but  with  a  caution 
which  showed  she  fully  distinguished  between  that  which 
was  immaterial,  and  that  which  might  endanger  the  safety 
or  embarrass  the  future  operations  of  her  friends.  Our 
heroine  was  incapable  of  making  an  attempt  to  entrap  her 
companion,  though  she  plainly  perceived  that,  could  she 
have  been  guilty  of  the  meanness,  she  would  have  found 
the  undertaking  one  of  extreme  difficulty.  June,  however, 
was  not  required  to  exercise  more  than  a  discreet  discrimi- 
nation about  what  she  revealed ;  and  the  substance  of  the 
information  she  gave  may  be  summed  up  as  follows. 

Arrowhead  had  long  been  in  communication  with  the 
French,  though  this  was  the  first  occasion  on  which  he  had 
ever  entirely  thrown  aside  the  mask.  He  no  longer  intended 
to  trust  himself  among  the  English,  for  he  had  discovered 
traces  of  distrust,  particularly  in  Pathfinder ;  and  with 
Indian  bravado,  he  now  rather  wished  to  blazon  than 
to  conceal  his  treachery.  He  had  led  the  party  of  war- 
riors, in  the  attack  on  the  island,  subject,  however,  to  the 
supervision  of  the  Frenchman  who  has  been  mentioned, 
though  June  declined  saying  whether  he  had  been  the 
means  of  discovering  the  position  of  a  place  that  had  been 
thought  to  be  so  concealed  from  the  eyes  of  the  enemy  or  not. 
On  this  point  she  would  say  nothing  ;  but  she  admitted  that 
she  and  her  husband  had  been  watching  the  departure  of 
the  Scud,  at  the  time  they  were  overtaken  and  captured  by 
the  cutter.  The  French  had  obtained  their  information  of 
the  precise  position  of  the  station,  but  very  recently ;  and 
Mabel  felt  a  pang  like  that  of  some  sharp  instrument 
piercing  her  heart,  when  she  thought  that  there  were  covert 
allusions  of  the  Indian  woman,  which  would  convey  the 
meaning  that  the  intelligence  had  come  from  a  pale-face  in 
the  employment  of  Duncan  of  Lundie.  This  was  intimated, 
however,  rather  than  said;  and  when  Mabel  had  time  to 
reflect  on  her  companion's  words,  and  to  remember  how 
sententious  and  brief  her  periods  were,  she  found  room  to 


384  ftbe  patbfinfcer 


hope  that  she  had  misunderstood  her,  and  that  Jasper 
Western  would  yet  come  out  of  the  affair  freed  from  every 
injurious  imputation. 

June  did  not  hesitate  to  confess  that  she  had  been  sent 
to  the  island  to  ascertain  the  precise  number,  and  the  occu- 
pations of  those  who  had  been  left  on  it  ;  though  she  also 
betrayed,  in  her  naive  way,  that  the  wish  to  serve  Mabel 
had  induced  her  principally  to  consent  to  come.  In  conse- 
quence of  her  report,  and  information  otherwise  obtained, 
the  enemy  was  aware  of  precisely  the  force  that  could  be 
brought  against  them  ;  they  also  knew  the  number  of  men 
that  had  gone  with  Sergeant  Dunham,  and  were  acquainted 
with  the  object  he  had  in  view,  though  they  were  ignorant 
of  the  spot  where  he  expected  to  meet  the  French  boats. 
It  would  have  been  a  pleasant  sight  to  witness  the  eager 
desire  of  each  of  these  two  sincere  females  to  ascertain  all 
that  might  be  of  consequence  to  their  respective  friends,  and 
yet  the  native  delicacy  with  which  each  refrained  from 
pressing  the  other  to  make  revelations  that  would  have  been 
improper,  as  well  as  the  sensitive,  almost  intuitive  feeling, 
with  which  each  avoided  saying  aught  that  might  prove 
injurious  to  her  own  nation  :  as  respected  each  other,  there 
was  perfect  confidence  ;  as  regarded  their  respective  people, 
entire  fidelity.  June  was  quite  as  anxious  as  Mabel  could 
be  on  any  other  point,  to  know  where  the  sergeant  had 
gone,  and  when  he  was  expected  to  return ;  but  she 
abstained  from  putting  the  question,  with  a  delicacy  that 
would  have  done  honor  to  the  highest  civilization  ;  nor  did 
she  once  frame  any  other  inquiry,  in  a  way  to  lead,  indi- 
rectly, to  a  betrayal  of  the  much  desired  information,  on  that 
particular  point ;  though,  when  Mabel,  of  her  own  accord, 
touched  on  any  matter  that  might,  by  possibility,  throw 
a  light  on  the  subject,  she  listened  with  an  intentness  that 
almost  suspended  respiration. 

In  this  manner  the  hours  passed  away  unheeded  ;  for 
both  were  too  much  interested  to  think  of  rest.  Nature 
asserted  her  rights,  however,  towards  morning  ;  and  Mabel 
was  persuaded  to  lie  down  on  one  of  the  straw  beds  pro- 
vided for  the  soldiers,  where  she  soon  fell  into  a  deep  sleep. 


jpatbfinber  385 


June  lay  near  her  ;  and  a  quiet  reigned  on  the  whole  island, 
as  profound  as  if  the  dominion  of  the  forest  had  never  been 
invaded  by  man. 

When  Mabel  awoke,  the  light  of  the  sun  was  streaming 
in  through  the  loop-holes  ;  and  she  found  that  the  day  was 
considerably  advanced.  June  still  lay  near  her,  sleeping  as 
tranquilly  as  if  she  reposed  on — we  will  not  say  down,  for 
the  superior  civilization  of  our  own  times  repudiates  the 
simile — but  on  a  French  mattress  ;  and  as  profoundly  as  if 
she  had  never  experienced  concern.  The  movements  of 
Mabel,  notwithstanding,  soon  awakened  one  so  accustomed 
to  vigilance  ;  and  then  the  two  took  a  survey  of  what  was 
passing  around  them,  by  means  of  the  friendly  apertures. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

"  What  had  the  Eternall  Maker  need  of  thee, 
The  world  in  his  continuall  course  to  keepe, 
That  doest  all  things  deface  ?  ne  lettest  see 
The  beautie  of  his  worke  ?    Indeede  in  sleepe, 
The  slouthfull  body  that  doth  love  to  steepe 
His  lustlesse  litnbs,  and  drowne  his  baser  mind, 
Doth  praise  thee  oft,  and  oft  from  Stygian  deepe, 
Calles  thee  his  goddesse,  in  his  errour  blind, 
And  great  dame  Nature's  hand-maide,  chearing  every  kind." 

Faerie  Queene. 

THE  tranquillity  of  the  previous  night  was  not  con- 
tradicted by  the  movements  of  the  day. 
Although  Mabel  and  June  went  to  every  loop- 
hole, not  a  sign  of  the  presence  of  a  living  being 
on  the  island  was  at  first  to  be  seen,  themselves  excepted. 
There  was  a  smothered  fire  on  the  spot  where  McNab  and 
his  comrades  had  cooked,  as  if  the  smoke  that  curled 
upwards  from  it  was  intended  as  a  lure  to  the  absent ;  and 
all  around  the  huts  had  been  restored  to  former  order  and 
arrangement.  Mabel  started  involuntarily,  when  her  eye  at 
length  fell  on  a  group  of  three  men,  dressed  in  the  scarlet  of 
the  55th,  seated  on  the  grass,  in  lounging  attitudes,  as  if  they 
chatted  in  listless  security  ;  and  her  blood  curdled,  as,  on  a 
second  look,  she  traced  the  bloodless  faces  and  glassy  eyes 
of  the  dead.  They  were  quite  near  the  block-house ;  so 
near,  indeed,  as  to  have  been  overlooked  at  the  first  eager 
inquiry  ;  and  there  was  a  mocking  levity  in  their  postures 
and  gestures,  for  their  limbs  were  stiffening  in  different  atti- 
tudes, intended  to  resemble  life,  at  which  the  soul  revolted. 
Still,  horrible  as  these  objects  were  to  those  near  enough  to 


Ube  ipatbfinfcer  387 


discover  the  frightful  discrepancy  between  their  assumed 
and  their  real  characters,  the  arrangement  had  been  made 
with  an  art  that  would  have  deceived  a  negligent  observer, 
at  the  distance  of  a  hundred  yards.  After  carefully  examin- 
ing the  shores  of  the  island,  June  pointed  out  to  her  com- 
panion the  fourth  soldier,  seated  with  his  feet  hanging  over 
the  water,  his  back  fastened  to  a  sapling,  and  holding  a  fish- 
ing-rod in  his  hand.  The  scalpless  heads  were  covered  with 
the  caps,  and  all  appearance  of  blood  had  been  carefully 
washed  from  each  countenance. 

Mabel  sickened  at  this  sight,  which  not  only  did  so  much 
violence  to  all  her  notions  of  propriety,  but  which  was  in 
itself  so  revolting,  and  so  opposed  to  natural  feeling.  She 
withdrew  to  a  seat,  and  hid  her  face  in  her  apron  for  several 
minutes,  until  a  low  call  from  June  again  drew  her  to  a  loop- 
hole. The  latter  then  pointed  out  the  body  of  Jennie,  seem- 
ingly standing  in  the  door  of  a  hut,  leaning  forward  as  if  to 
look  at  the  group  of  men,  her  cap  fluttering  in  the  wind,  and 
her  hand  grasping  a  broom.  The  distance  was  too  great  to 
distinguish  the  features  very  accurately  ;  but  Mabel  fancied 
that  the  jaw  had  been  depressed,  as  if  to  distort  the  mouth 
into  a  sort  of  horrible  laugh. 

"June  !  June  !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  this  exceeds  all  I  have 
ever  heard  or  imagined  as  possible,  in  the  treachery  and  arti- 
fices of  your  people." 

' '  Tuscarora  very  cunning, ' '  said  June,  in  a  way  to  show 
that  she  rather  approved  of  than  condemned  the  uses  to 
which  the  dead  bodies  had  been  applied.  ' '  Do  soldier  no 
harm  now  ;  do  Iroquois  good ;  got  the  scalp,  first ;  now 
make  bodies  work.  By  and  by,  burn  'em." 

This  speech  told  Mabel  how  far  she  was  separated  from 
her  friend  in  character ;  and  it  was  several  minutes  before  she 
could  again  address  her.  But  this  temporary  aversion  was 
lost  on  June,  who  set  about  preparing  their  simple  breakfast, 
in  a  way  to  show  how  insensible  she  was  to  feelings  in 
others,  that  her  own  habits  taught  her  to  discard.  Mabel 
ate  sparingly,  and  her  companion  as  if  nothing  had  hap- 
pened. Then  they  had  leisure  again  for  their  thoughts,  and 
for  further  surveys  of  the  island.  Our  heroine,  though  de- 


388  TTbe  patbffnfcer 


voured  with  a  feverish  desire  to  be  always  at  the  loops,  sel- 
dom went  that  she  did  not  immediately  quit  them  in  disgust, 
though  compelled  by  her  apprehensions  to  return  again  in  a 
few  minutes,  called  by  the  rustling  of  leaves,  or  the  sighing 
of  the  wind.  It  was,  indeed,  a  solemn  thing  to  look  out 
upon  that  deserted  spot,  peopled  by  the  dead  in  the  panoply 
of  the  living,  and  thrown  into  the  attitudes  and  acts  of  care- 
less merriment  and  rude  enjoyment.  The  effect  on  our  hero- 
ine was  much  as  if  she  had  found  herself  an  observer  of  the 
revelries  of  demons. 

Throughout  the  livelong  day  not  an  Indian  nor  a  French- 
man was  to  be  seen,  and  night  closed  over  the  frightful  but 
silent  masquerade  with  the  steady  and  unalterable  progress 
with  which  earth  obeys  her  laws,  indifferent  to  the  petty  actors 
and  petty  scenes  that  are  in  daily  bustle  and  daily  occurrence 
on  her  bosom.  The  night  was  far  more  quiet  than  that  which 
had  preceded  it,  and  Mabel  slept  with  an  increasing  confi- 
dence, for  she  now  felt  satisfied  that  her  own  fate  would  not 
be  decided  until  the  return  of  her  father.  The  following  day 
he  was  expected,  however,  and  when  our  heroine  awoke, 
she  ran  eagerly  to  the  loops  in  order  to  ascertain  the  state  of 
the  weather  and  the  aspect  of  the  skies,  as  well  as  the  con- 
dition of  the  island.  There  lounged  the  fearful  group  on 
the  grass  ;  the  fisherman  still  hung  over  the  water,  seemingly 
intent  on  his  sport ;  and  the  distorted  countenance  of  Jennie 
glared  from  out  the  hut  in  horrible  contortions.  But  the 
weather  had  changed.  The  wind  blew  fresh  from  the  south- 
ward, and  though  the  air  was  bland,  it  was  filled  with  the 
elements  of  storm. 

"This  grows  more  and  more  difiicult  to  bear,  June," 
Mabel  said,  when  she  left  the  window.  "  I  could  even  pre- 
fer to  see  the  enemy  than  to  look  any  longer  on  this  fearful 
array  of  the  dead." 

"  Hush  !  here  they  come.  June  thought  hear  a  cry,  like  a 
warrior's  shout  when  he  take  a  scalp." 

"  What  mean  you  !— There  is  no  more  butchery  !  There 
can  be  no  more." 

"Salt-water!"  exclaimed  June,  laughing,  as  she  stood 
peeping  through  a  loop-hole. 


jpatbfinfcet  389 


"  My  dear  uncle  !  Thank  God,  lie  then  lives.  O  !  June 
— June,  you  will  not  let  them  harm  him  ?  " 

' '  June  poor  squaw.  What  warrior  t'ink  of  what  she  say  ? 
Arrowhead  bring  him  here. ' ' 

By  this  time  Mabel  was  at  a  loop,  and  sure  enough  there 
were  Cap  and  the  quartermaster  in  the  hands  of  the  Indians, 
eight  or  ten  of  whom  were  conducting  them  to  the  foot  of 
the  block  ;  for  by  his  capture  the  enemy  now  well  knew  that 
there  could  be  no  man  in  the  building.  Mabel  scarcely 
breathed  until  the  whole  party  stood  ranged  directly  before 
the  door,  when  she  was  rejoiced  to  see  that  the  French 
officer  was  among  them.  A  low  conversation  followed,  in 
which  both  the  white  leader  and  Arrowhead  spoke  earnestly 
to  their  captives,  when  the  quartermaster  called  out  to  her, 
in  a  voice  loud  enough  to  be  heard. 

"  Pretty  Mabel  !  Pretty  Mabel !  "  he  said ;  "look  out  of 
one  of  the  loop-holes,  and  pity  our  condition.  We  are  threat- 
ened with  instant  death,  unless  you  open  the  door  to  the 
conquerors.  Relent  then,  or  we  '11  no  be  wearing  our  scalps 
half  an  hour  from  this  blessed  moment !  ' ' 

Mabel  thought  there  were  mockery  and  levity  in  this 
appeal,  and  its  manner  rather  fortified  than  weakened  her 
resolution  to  hold  the  place  as  long  as  possible. 

"  Speak  tome,  uncle,"  she  said,  with  her  mouth  at  a  loop, 
' '  and  tell  me  what  I  ought  to  do  ?  " 

"Thank  God !— thank  God!"  ejaculated  Cap;  "the 
sound  of  your  sweet  voice,  Magnet,  lightens  my  heart  of 
a  heavy  load,  for  I  feared  you  had  shared  the  fate  of  poor 
Jennie.  My  breast  has  felt  the  last  four-and-twenty  hours 
as  if  a  ton  of  kentledge  had  been  stowed  in  it.  You  ask  me 
what  you  ought  to  do,  child,  and  I  do  not  know  how  to 
advise  you,  though  you  are  my  own  sister's  daughter !  The 
most  I  can  say  just  now,  my  poor  girl,  is  most  heartily  to 
curse  the  day  you  or  I  ever  saw  this  bit  of  fresh  water." 

' '  But,  uncle,  is  your  life  in  danger — doyou  think  I  ought 
to  open  the  door  ?  ' ' 

' '  A  round  turn  and  two  haft-hitches  make  a  fast  belay  ; 
and  I  would  counsel  no  one  who  is  out  of  the  hands  of  these 
devils,  to  unbar  or  unfasten  anything,  in  order  to  fall  into 


39o  Ube  patbfinber 


them.  As  to  the  quartermaster  and  myself,  we  are  both 
elderly  men,  and  not  of  much  account  to  mankind  in  general, 
as  honest  Pathfinder  would  say  ;  and  it  can  make  no  great 
odds  to  him  whether  he  balances  the  purser's  books  this 
year  or  the  next ;  and  as  for  myself,  why  if  I  were  on  the 
seaboard  I  should  know  what  to  do — but  up  here  in  this 
watery  wilderness,  I  can  only  say  that  if  I  were  behind  that 
bit  of  a  bulwark,  it  would  take  a  good  deal  of  Indian  logic 
to  rowse  me  out  of  it. ' ' 

"You'll  no  be  minding  all  your  uncle  says,  pretty 
Mabel,"  put  in  Muir,  "for  distress  is  obviously  fast  unset- 
tling his  faculties,  and  he  is  far  from  calculating  all  the  neces- 
sities of  the  emergency.  We  are  in  the  hands  here  of  very 
considerate  and  gentlemanly  pairsons,  it  must  be  acknowl- 
edged, and  one  has  little  occasion  to  apprehend  disagreeable 
violence.  The  casualties  that  have  occurred  are  the  common 
incidents  of  war,  and  can  no  change  our  sentiments  of  the 
enemy,  for  they  are  far  from  indicating  that  any  injustice 
will  be  done  the  prisoners.  I'm  sure  that  neither  Master 
Cap  nor  myself  has  any  cause  of  complaint  since  we  have 
given  ourselves  up  to  Master  Arrowhead,  who  reminds  me  of 
a  Roman,  or  a  Spartan,  by  his  virtues  and  moderation  ;  but 
ye  '11  be  remembering  that  usages  differ,  and  that  our  scalps 
may  be  lawful  sacrifices  to  appease  the  manes  of  fallen  foes, 
unless  you  save  them  by  capitulation." 

"  I  shall  do  wiser  to  keep  within  the  block-house  until  the 
fate  of  the  island  is  settled, ' '  returned  Mabel.  ' '  Our  enemies 
can  feel  no  concern  on  account  of  one  like  me,  knowing  that 
I  can  do  them  no  harm  ;  and  I  greatly  prefer  to  remain  here, 
as  more  befitting  my  sex  and  years." 

' '  If  nothing  but  your  convenience  were  concerned,  Mabel, 
we  should  all  cheerfully  acquiesce  in  your  wishes  ;  but  these 
gentlemen  fancy  that  the  work  will  aid  their  operations,  and 
they  have  a  strong  desire  to  possess  it.  To  be  frank  with 
you,  finding  myself  and  your  uncle  in  a  very  peculiar  situa- 
tion, I  acknowledge  that,  to  avert  consequences,  I  have 
assumed  the  power  that  belongs  to  his  majesty's  commission, 
and  entered  into  a  verbal  capitulation,  by  which  I  have 
engaged  to  give  up  the  block-house  and  the  whole  island. 


Jpatbfinfcer  391 


It  is  the  fortune  of  war,  and  must  be  submitted  to  ;  so  open 
the  door,  pretty  Mabel,  forthwith,  and  confide  yourself  to  the 
care  of  those  who  know  how  to  treat  beauty  and  virtue  in 
distress.  There 's  no  courtier  in  Scotland  more  complaisant 
than  this  chief,  or  who  is  more  familiar  with  the  laws  of 
decorum. ' ' 

"No  leave  block-house,"  muttered  June,  who  stood  at 
Mabel's  side,  attentive  to  all  that  passed.  "Block-house 
good  ;  got  no  scalp." 

Our  heroine  might  have  yielded,  but  for  this  appeal ;  for 
it  began  to  appear  to  her,  that  the  wisest  course  would  be  to 
conciliate  the  enemy  by  concessions,  instead  of  exasperating 
them  by  resistance.  They  must  know  that  Muir  and  her 
uncle  were  in  their  power  ;  that  there  was  no  man  in  the 
building  ;  and  she  fancied  they  might  proceed  to  batter  down 
the  door,  or  to  cut  their  way  through  the  logs  with  axes,  if 
she  obstinately  refused  to  give  them  peaceable  admission, 
since  there  was  no  longer  any  reason  to  dread  the  rifle. 
But  the  words  of  June  induced  her  to  hesitate  ;  and  the 
earnest  pressure  of  the  hand,  and  entreating  looks  of  her 
companion,  strengthened  a  resolution  that  was  faltering. 

"No  prisoner  yet,"  whispered  June;  "let  'em  make 
prisoner,  before  'ey  take  prisoner — talk  big ;  June  manage 
'em." 

Mabel  now  began  to  parley  more  resolutely  with  Muir, 
for  her  uncle  seemed  disposed  to  quiet  his  conscience  by 
holding  his  tongue  ;  and  she  plainly  intimated  that  it  was 
not  her  intention  to  yield  the  building. 

"You  forget  the  capitulation,  Mistress  Mabel,"  said 
Muir;  "the  honor  of  one  of  his  majesty's  servants  is  con- 
cerned ;  and  the  honor  of  his  majesty,  through  his  servant. 
You  will  remember  the  finesse  and  delicacy  that  belong  to 
military  honor  ?  ' ' 

"  I  know  enough,  Mr.  Muir,  to  understand  that  you  have 
no  command  in  this  expedition,  and,  therefore,  can  have  no 
right  to  yield  the  block-house ;  and  I  remember,  moreover, 
to  have  heard  my  father  say,  that  a  prisoner  loses  all  his 
authority,  for  the  time  being." 

"Rank  sophistry,  pretty  Mabel,  and  treason  to  the  king, 


392  Ube  patbfinfcer 


as  well  as  dishonoring  his  commission,  and  discrediting  his 
name.  You  '11  no  be  persevering  in  your  intentions,  when 
your  better  judgment  has  had  leisure  to  reflect,  and  to  make 
conclusions  on  matters  and  circumstances." 

"Ay,"  put  in  Cap,  "this  is  a  circumstance,  and  be 
d dtoit!" 

"  No  mind  what  'e  uncle  say,"  ejaculated  June,  who  was 
occupied  hi  a  far  corner  of  the  room.  "  Block-house  good  ; 
got  no  scalp." 

"  I  shall  remain  as  I  am,  Mr.  Muir,  until  I  get  some  tid- 
ings of  my  father.  He  will  return  in  the  course  of  the  next 
ten  days." 

"Ah!  Mabel,  this  artifice  will  not  deceive  the  enemy, 
who,  by  means  that  would  be  unintelligible,  did  not  our 
suspicions  rest  on  an  unhappy  young  man  with  too  much 
plausibility,  are  familiar  with  all  our  doings  and  plans,  and 
well  know  that  the  sun  will  not  set  before  the  worthy  ser- 
geant and  his  companions  will  be  in  their  power.  Aweel ! 
Submission  to  Providence  is  truly  a  Christian  virtue  !  " 

"  Mr.  Muir,  you  appear  to  be  deceived  in  the  strength  of 
this  work,  and  to  fancy  it  weaker  than  it  is.  Do  you  desire 
to  see  what  I  can  do  in  the  way  of  defence,  if  so  disposed?  " 

"I  dinna'  mind  if  I  do,"  answered  the  quartermaster, 
who  always  grew  Scotch  as  he  grew  interested. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  that,  then  ?  Look  at  the  loop  of 
the  upper  story." 

As  soon  as  Mabel  had  spoken,  all  eyes  were  turned  upwards 
and  beheld  the  muzzle  of  a  rifle  cautiously  thrust  through  a 
hole— June  having  resorted  again  to  a  ruse  that  had  already 
proved  so  successful.  The  result  did  not  disappoint  expec- 
tation. No  sooner  did  the  Indians  catch  a  sight  of  the  fatal 
weapon,  than  they  leaped  aside,  and  in  less  than  a  minute 
every  man  among  them  had  sought  a  cover.  The  French 
officer  kept  his  eye  on  the  barrel  of  the  piece,  in  order  to 
ascertain  that  it  was  not  pointed  in  his  particular  direction, 
and  he  coolly  took  a  pinch  of  snuff.  As  neither  Muir  nor 
Cap  had  anything  to  apprehend  from  the  quarter  in  which 
the  others  were  menaced,  they  kept  their  ground. 

"Be  wise,  my  pretty   Mabel,  be  wise,"    exclaimed  the 


TIbe  patbfinfcer  393 


former,  "and  no  be  provoking  useless  contention.  In  the 
name  of  all  the  kings  of  Albin,  whom  have  ye  closeted  with 
you  in  that  wooden  tower,  that  seemeth  so  bloody-minded  ? 
There  is  necromancy  about  this  matter,  and  all  our  charac- 
ters may  be  involved  in  the  explanation." 

' '  What  do  ye  think  of  the  Pathfinder,  Master  Muir,  for  a 
garrison  to  so  strong  a  post  !  "  cried  Mabel,  resorting  to  an 
equivocation  that  the  circumstances  rendered  very  excusable. 
' '  What  will  your  French  and  Indian  companions  rtn'nfc  of 
the  aim  of  the  Pathfinder's  rifle  ?  " 

' '  Bear  gently  on  the  unfortunate,  pretty  Mabel,  and  do 
not  confound  the  king's  servants — may  heaven  bless  him 
and  all  his  royal  lineage  ! — with  the  king's  enemies.  If 
Pathfinder  be  indeed  in  the  block-house,  let  him  speak,  and 
we  will  hold  our  negotiations  directly  with  him.  He  knows 
us  as  friends,  and  we  fear  no  evil  at  his  hands,  and  least  of 
ail  to  myself ;  for  a  generous  mind  is  apt  to  render  rivalry  in 
a  certain  interest  a  sure  ground  of  respect  and  amity  ;  since 
admiration  of  the  same  woman  proves  a  community  of  feeling 
and  tastes." 

The  reliance  on  Pathfinder's  friendship  did  not  extend 
beyond  the  quartermaster  and  Cap,  however,  for  even  the 
French  officer,  who  had  hitherto  stood  his  ground  so  well, 
shrank  back  at  the  sound  of  the  terrible  name.  So  unwilling 
indeed  did  this  individual,  a  man  of  iron  nerves,  and  one 
long  accustomed  to  the  dangers  of  the  peculiar  warfare  in 
which  he  was  engaged,  appear  to  be  to  remain  exposed  to  the 
assaults  of  Killdeer,  whose  reputation  throughout  all  that 
frontier  was  as  well  established  as  that  of  Marlborough  in 
Europe,  that  he  not  did  disdain  to  seek  a  cover,  insisting  that 
his  two  prisoners  should  follow  him.  Mabel  was  too  glad  to 
be  rid  of  her  enemies  to  lament  the  departure  of  her  friends, 
though  she  kissed  her  hand  to  Cap,  through  the  loop,  and 
called  out  to  him  in  terms  of  affection  as  he  moved  slowly 
and  unwillingly  away. 

The  enemy  now  seemed  disposed  to  abandon  all  attempts 
on  the  block-house  for  the  present ;  and  June,  who  had 
ascended  to  a  trap  in  the  roof,  whence  the  best  view  was  to 
be  obtained,  reported  that  the  whole  party  had  assembled  to 


394 


eat,  on  a  distant  and  sheltered  part  of  the  island,  where 
Muir  and  Cap  were  quietly  sharing  in  the  good  things  that 
were  going,  as  if  they  had  no  concern  on  their  minds.  This 
information  greatly  relieved  Mabel,  and  she  began  to  turn 
her  thoughts  again  to  the  means  of  affecting  her  own  escape, 
or  at  least  of  letting  her  father  know  of  the  danger  that 
awaited  him.  The  sergeant  was  expected  to  return  that 
afternoon,  and  she  knew  that  a  moment  gained  or  lost  might 
decide  his  fate. 

Three  or  four  hours  flew  by.  The  island  was  again 
buried  in  a  profound  quiet,  the  day  was  wearing  away,  and 
yet  Mabel  had  decided  on  nothing.  June  was  in  the  base- 
ment preparing  their  frugal  meal,  and  Mabel  herself  had 
ascended  to  the  roof,  which  was  provided  with  a  trap  that 
allowed  her  to  go  out  on  the  top  of  the  building,  whence 
she  commanded  the  best  view  of  surrounding  objects  that 
the  island  possessed.  Still  it  was  limited,  and  much  ob- 
structed by  the  tops  of  trees.  The  anxious  girl  did  not 
dare  to  trust  her  person  in  sight,  knowing  well  that  the 
unrestrained  passions  of  some  savage  might  induce  him  to 
send  a  bullet  through  her  brain.  She  merely  kept  her  head 
out  of  the  trap,  therefore,  whence,  in  the  course  of  the 
afternoon,  she  made  as  many  surveys  of  the  different  chan- 
nels about  the  island,  as  "Anne,  sister  Anne,"  took  of  the 
environs  of  the  castle  of  Blue  Beard. 

The  sun  had  actually  set,  no  intelligence  had  been  re- 
ceived from  the  boats,  and  Mabel  ascended  to  the  roof,  to 
take  a  last  look,  hoping  that  the  party  would  arrive  in  the 
darkness ;  which  would  at  least  prevent  the  Indians  from 
rendering  their  ambuscade  as  fatal  as  it  might  otherwise 
prove,  and  which  possibly  might  enable  her  to  give  some 
more  intelligible  signal  by  means  of  fire,  than  it  would  other- 
wise be  in  her  power  to  do.  Her  eye  had  turned  carefully 
round  the  whole  horizon,  and  she  was  just  on  the  point  of 
drawing  in  her  person,  when  an  object  that  struck  her  as 
new  caught  her  attention.  The  islands  lay  grouped  so 
closely,  that  six  or  eight  different  channels  or  passages 
between  them  were  in  view ;  and  in  one  of  the  most  cov- 
ered, concealed  in  a  great  measure  by  the  bushes  of  the 


Ube  patbffnfcer  395 


shore,  lay  what  a  second  look  assured  her,  was  a  bark  canoe. 
It  contained  a  human  being  beyond  a  question.  Confident 
that,  if  an  enemy,  her  signal  could  do  no  harm,  and,  if  a 
friend,  that  it  might  do  good,  the  eager  girl  waved  a  little  flag 
towards  the  stranger,  which  she  had  prepared  for  her  father, 
taking  care  that  it  should  not  be  seen  from  the  island. 

Mabel  had  repeated  her  signal  eight  or  ten  times  in  vain, 
and  she  began  to  despair  of  its  being  noticed,  when  a  sign 
was  given  in  return,  by  the  wave  of  a  paddle,  and  the  man 
so  far  discovered  himself,  as  to  let  her  see  it  was  Chingach- 
gook.  Here,  then,  at  last,  was  a  friend  ;  one,  too,  who  was 
able,  and  she  doubted  not  would  be  willing  to  aid  her ! 
From  that  instant  her  courage  and  her  spirits  revived.  The 
Mohican  had  seen  her;  must  have  recognized  her,  as  he 
knew  that  she  was  of  the  party  ;  and  no  doubt,  as  soon  as 
it  was  sufficiently  dark,  he  would  take  the  steps  necessary  to 
release  her.  That  he  was  aware  of  the  presence  of  the 
enemy  was  apparent  by  the  great  caution  he  observed,  and 
she  had  every  reliance  on  his  prudence  and  address.  The 
principal  difficulty  now  existed  with  June,  for  Mabel  had 
seen  too  much  of  her  fidelity  to  her  own  people,  relieved  as 
it  was  by  sympathy  for  herself,  to  believe  that  she  would 
consent  to  a  hostile  Indian's  entering  the  block-house,  or 
indeed  to  her  leaving  it,  with  a  view  to  defeat  Arrowhead's 
plans.  The  half  hour  that  succeeded  the  discovery  of  the 
presence  of  the  Great  Serpent,  was  the  most  painful  of 
Mabel  Dunham's  life.  She  saw  the  means  of  effecting  all 
she  wished,  as  it  might  be  within  reach  of  her  hand,  and 
yet  it  eluded  her  grasp.  She  knew  June's  decision  and 
coolness,  notwithstanding  all  her  gentleness  and  womanly 
feeling,  and  at  last  she  came  reluctantly  to  the  conclusion  that 
there  was  no  other  way  of  attaining  her  end,  than  by  deceiv- 
ing her  tried  companion  and  protector.  It  was  revolting  to 
one  as  sincere  and  natural,  as  pure  of  heart,  and  as  much 
disposed  to  ingenuousness  as  Mabel  Dunham,  to  practise 
deception  on  a  friend  like  June ;  but  her  own  father's  life 
was  at  stake,  her  companion  would  receive  no  positive 
injury,  and  she  had  feelings  and  interests  directly  touching 
herself,  that  would  have  removed  greater  scruples. 


396  TTbe  patbfinfcer 


As  soon  as  it  was  dark,  Mabel's  heart  began  to  beat  with 
violence ;  and  she  adopted  and  changed  her  plan  of  pro- 
ceedings at  least  a  dozen  times  in  the  course  of  a  single 
hour.  June  was  always  the  source  of  her  greatest  em- 
barrassment ;  for  she  did  not  well  see,  firstly,  how  she  was 
to  ascertain  how  Chingachgook  was  at  the  door,  where  she 
doubted  not  he  would  soon  appear  ;  and,  secondly,  how  she 
was  to  admit  him  without  giving  the  alarm  to  her  watch- 
ful companion.  Time  pressed,  however ;  for  the  Mohican 
might  come  and  go  away  again,  unless  she  were  ready  to 
receive  him.  It  would  be  too  hazardous  to  the  Delaware 
to  remain  long  on  the  island ;  and  it  became  absolutely 
necessary  to  determine  on  some  course,  even  at  the  risk 
of  choosing  one  that  was  indiscreet.  After  running  over 
various  projects  in  her  mind,  therefore,  Mabel  came  to 
her  companion  and  said,  with  as  much  calmness  as  she 
could  assume : — 

' '  Are  you  not  afraid,  June,  now  your  people  believe 
Pathfinder  is  in  the  block-house,  and  they  will  come  and 
try  to  set  it  on  fire  ? ' ' 

"No  t'ink  such  t'ing.  No  burn  block-house.  Block- 
house good  ;  got  no  scalp." 

1 '  June,  we  cannot  know.  They  hid  because  they  believed 
what  I  told  them  of  Pathfinder's  being  with  us." 

"Believe  fear.  Fear  come  quick,  go  quick.  Fear  make 
run  away ;  wit  make  come  back.  Fear  make  warrior  fool, 
as  well  as  young  girl." 

Here  June  laughed,  as  her  sex  is  apt  to  laugh,  when  any 
thing  particularly  ludicrous  crosses  their  youthful  fancies. 

"  I  feel  uneasy,  June ;  and  wish  you  yourself  would  go 
up  again  to  the  roof  and  look  out  upon  the  island  to  make 
certain  that  nothing  is  plotting  against  us ;  you  know  the 
signs  of  what  your  people  intend  to  do  better  than  I." 

"June  go,  Lily  wish;  but  very  well  know  that  Indian 
sleep ;  wait  for  fader.  Warrior  eat,  drink,  sleep,  all  time, 
when  don't  fight,  and  go  on  war-trail.  Den  never  sleep,  eat, 
drink — never  feel.  Warrior  sleep,  now." 

"  God  send  it  may  be  so  ;  but  go  up,  dear  June,  and  look 
well  about  you.  Danger  may  come  when  we  least  expect  it. ' ' 


Ube  tpatbffnfcer  397 


June  arose  and  prepared  to  ascend  to  the  roof;  but  she 
paused,  with  her  foot  on  the  first  round  of  the  ladder. 
Mabel's  heart  beat  so  violently  that  she  was  fearful  its  throbs 
would  be  heard ;  and  she  fancied  that  some  gleamings  of 
her  real  intentions  had  crossed  the  mind  of  her  friend.  She 
was  right,  in  part ;  the  Indian  woman  having  actually 
stopped  to  consider  whether  there  was  any  indiscretion  in 
what  she  was  about  to  do.  At  first,  the  suspicion  that 
Mabel  intended  to  escape  flashed  across  her  mind  ;  then  she 
rejected  it,  on  the  ground  that  the  pale-face  had  no  means 
of  getting  off  the  island,  and  that  the  block-house  was  much 
the  most  secure  place  she  could  find.  The  next  thought 
was,  that  Mabel  had  detected  some  sign  of  the  near  approach 
of  her  father.  This  idea,  too,  lasted  but  an  instant ;  for 
June  entertained  some  such  opinion  of  her  companion's 
ability  to  understand  symptoms  of  this  sort — symptoms  that 
had  escaped  her  own  sagacity — as  a  woman  of  high  fashion 
entertains  of  the  accomplishments  of  her  maid.  Nothing 
else  in  the  same  way  offering,  she  began  slowly  to  mount 
the  ladder. 

Just  as  she  reached  the  upper  floor,  a  lucky  thought  sug- 
gested itself  to  our  heroine ;  and,  by  expressing  it  in  a 
hurried,  but  natural  manner,  she  gained  a  great  advantage 
in  executing  her  projected  scheme. 

"  I  will  go  down,"  she  said,  "and  listen  by  the  door, 
June,  while  you  are  on  the  roof;  and  we  will  thus  be  on 
our  guard,  at  the  same  time,  above  and  below." 

Though  June  thought  this  savored  of  unnecessary  caution, 
well  knowing  no  one  could  enter  the  building  unless  aided 
from  within,  nor  any  serious  danger  menace  them  from  the 
exterior,  without  giving  sufficient  warning,  she  attributed 
the  proposition  to  Mabel's  ignorance  and  alarm ;  and  as  it 
was  made  apparently  with  frankness,  it  was  received  with- 
out distrust.  By  these  means  our  heroine  was  enabled  to 
descend  to  the  door,  as  her  friend  ascended  to  the  roof;  and 
June  felt  no  unusual  inducement  to  watch  her.  The  distance 
between  the  two  was  now  too  great  to  admit  of  conversation  ; 
and  for  three  or  four  minutes,  one  was  occupied  in  looking 
about  her  as  well  as  the  darkness  would  allow,  and  the 


39s  tTbe  fcatbfinfcer 


other  in  listening  at  the  door,  with  as  much  intentness  as  if 
all  her  senses  were  absorbed  in  the  single  faculty  of  hearing. 

June  discovered  nothing  from  her  elevated  stand  ;  the 
obscurity,  indeed,  almost  forbade  the  hope  of  such  a  result  ; 
but  it  would  not  be  easy  to  describe  the  sensation  with  which 
Mabel  thought  she  perceived  a  slight  and  guarded  push 
-against  the  door.  Fearful  that  all  might  not  be  as  she 
wished,  and  anxious  to  let  Chingachgook  know  that  she  was 
near,  she  began,  though  in  tremulous  and  low  notes,  to  sing. 
So  profound  was  the  stillness  at  the  moment,  that  the  sound 
of  the  unsteady  warbling  ascended  to  the  roof,  and  in  a  min- 
ute June  began  to  descend.  A  slight  tap  at  the  door  was 
heard  immediately  after.  Mabel  was  bewildered,  for  there 
was  no  time  to  lose.  Hope  proved  stronger  than  fear,  and 
with  unsteady  hands  she  commenced  unbarring  the  door. 
The  moccasin  of  June  was  heard  on  the  floor  above  her, 
when  only  a  single  bar  was  turned.  The  second  was  released 
as  her  form  reached  half-way  down  the  lower  ladder. 

"  What  you  do  !  "  exclaimed  June,  angrily.  "  Run  away 
— mad — leave  block-house  ?  Block-house  good. ' '  The  hands 
of  both  were  on  the  last  bar,  and  it  would  have  been  cleared 
from  the  fastenings,  but  for  a  vigorous  shove  from  without, 
which  jammed  the  wood.  A  short  struggle  ensued,  though 
both  were  disinclined  to  violence.  June  would  probably 
have  prevailed,  had  not  another  and  a  more  vigorous  push 
from  without  forced  the  bar  past  the  trifling  impediment 
that  held  it,  when  the  door  opened.  The  form  of  a  man  was 
seen  to  enter,  and  both  the  females  rushed  up  the  ladder,  as 
if  equally  afraid  of  the  consequences.  The  stranger  secured 
the  door,  and  first  examining  the  lower  room  with  great 
care,  he  cautiously  ascended  the  ladder.  June,  as  soon  as  it 
became  dark,  had  closed  the  loops  of  the  principal  floor,  and 
lighted  a  candle.  By  means  of  this  dim  taper,  then,  the  two 
females  stood  in  expectation,  waiting  to  ascertain  the  person 
of  their  visitor,  whose  wary  ascent  of  the  ladder  was  dis- 
tinctly audible,  though  sufficiently  deliberate.  It  would  not 
be  easy  to  say  which  was  the  most  astonished  on  finding, 
when  the  stranger  had  got  through  the  trap,  that  Path- 
finder stood  before  them. 


Ube  patbffnfcer  399 


"God  be  praised!"  Mabel  exclaimed,  for  the  idea  that 
the  block-house  would  be  impregnable  with  such  a  garrison, 
at  once  crossed  her  mind.  "O!  Pathfinder,  what  has 
become  of  my  father  ?  ' ' 

"  The  sergeant  is  safe  as  yet,  and  victorious,  though  it  is 
not  in  the  gift  of  man  to  say  what  will  be  the  ind  of  it.  Is  not 
that  the  wife  of  Arrowhead,  skulking  in  the  corner  there?  " 

"Speak  not  of  her  reproachfully,  Pathfinder  ;  I  owe  her 
my  life — my  present  security  ;  tell  me  what  has  happened  to 
my  father's  party,  why  you  are  here,  and  I  will  relate  all 
the  horrible  events  that  have  passed  upon  this  island." 

"Few  words  will  do  the  last,  Mabel;  for  one  used  to 
Indian  deviltries  needs  but  little  explanations  on  such  a 
subject.  Everything  turned  out  as  we  had  hoped  with  the 
expedition,  for  the  Sarpent  was  on  the  lookout,  and  he  met 
us  with  all  the  information  heart  could  desire.  We  am- 
bushed three  boats,  druv'  the  Frenchers  out  of  them,  got 
possession  and  sunk  them,  according  to  orders,  in  the  deep- 
est part  of  the  channel ;  and  the  savages  of  Upper  Canada 
will  fare  badly  for  Indian  goods  this  winter.  Both  powder 
and  ball  too,  will  be  scarcer  among  them  than  keen  hunters 
and  actyve  warriors  may  relish.  We  did  not  lose  a  man,  or 
have  even  a  skin  barked  ;  nor  do  I  think  the  inimy  suffered 
to  speak  of.  In  short,  Mabel,  it  has  been  just  such  an  expe- 
dition as  Lundie  likes;  much  harm  to  the  foe,  and  little 
harm  to  ourselves." 

"Ah!  Pathfinder,  I  fear  when  Major  Duncan  comes  to 
hear  the  whole  of  the  sad  tale,  he  will  find  reason  to  regret 
he  ever  undertook  the  affair  ! ' ' 

' '  I  know  what  you  mean — I  know  what  you  mean  ;  but 
by  telling  my  story  straight  you  will  understand  it  better. 
As  soon  as  the  sergeant  found  himself  successful,  he  sent  me 
and  the  Sarpent  off  in  canoes  to  tell  you  how  matters  had 
turned  out,  and  he  is  following  with  the  two  boats ;  which 
being  so  much  heavier,  cannot  arrive  before  morning.  I 
parted  from  Chingachgook  this  forenoon,  it  being  agreed 
that  he  should  come  up  one  set  of  channels,  and  I  another, 
to  see  that  the  path  was  clear.  I  've  not  seen  the  chief 
since. ' ' 


4oo  ttbe  fcatbfinfcer 


Mabel  now  explained  the  manner  in  which  she  had  dis- 
covered the  Mohican,  and  her  expectation  that  he  would  yet 
come  to  the  block-house. 

' '  Not  he — not  he  !  A  regular  scout  will  never  get  behind 
walls  or  logs,  so  long  as  he  can  keep  the  open  air  and  find 
useful  employment.  I  should  not  have  come  myself,  Mabel, 
but  I  promised  the  sergeant  to  comfort  you,  and  to  look 
a'ter  your  safety.  Ah  's  me !  I  reconnoitred  the  island 
with  a  heavy  heart  this  forenoon  ;  and  there  was  a  bitter 
hour  when  I  fancied  you  might  be  among  the  slain." 

"  By  what  lucky  accident  were  you  prevented  from  pad- 
dling up  boldly  to  the  island,  and  from  falling  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy  ?  ' ' 

"By  such  an  accident,  Mabel,  as  Providence  employs  to 
tell  the  hound  where  to  find  the  deer,  and  the  deer  how  to 
throw  off  the  hound.  No,  no  ;  these  artifices  and  deviltries 
with  dead  bodies  may  deceive  the  soldiers  of  the  55th,  and 
the  king's  officers  ;  but  they  are  all  lost  upon  men  who  have 
passed  their  days  in  the  forest.  I  came  down  the  channel 
in  face  of  the  pretended  fisherman,  and,  though  the  riptyles 
have  set  up  the  poor  wretch  with  art,  it  was  not  ingenious 
enough  to  take  in  a  practysed  eye.  The  rod  was  held  too 
high  ;  for  the  55th  have  learned  to  fish  at  Oswego,  if  they 
never  knew  how  before ;  and  then  the  man  was  too  quiet 
for  one  who  got  neither  prey  nor  bite.  But  we  never  come 
in  upon  a  post  blindly  ;  and  I  have  lain  outside  a  garrison 
a  whole  night,  because  they  had  changed  their  sentries  and 
their  mode  of  standing  guard.  Neither  the  Sarpent  nor 
myself  would  be  likely  to  be  taken  in  by  these  contrivances, 
which  were  most  probably  intended  for  the  Scotch,  who  are 
cunning  enough  in  some  particulars,  though  anything  but 
witches  when  Indian  sarcumventions  are  in  the  wind." 

"Do  you  think  my  father  and  his  men  may  yet  be 
deceived  ?  "  said  Mabel,  quickly. 

"Not  if  I  can  prevent  it,  Mabel.  You  say  the  Sarpent 
is  on  the  lookout  too ;  so  there  is  a  double  chance  of  our 
succeeding  in  letting  him  know  his  danger  ;  though  it  is  by 
no  means  sartain  by  which  channel  the  party  may  come." 

"  Pathfinder,"  said  our  heroine  solemnly,  for  the  frightful 


ttbe  fcatbffnfcer  401 


scenes  she  had  witnessed  had  clothed  death  with  unusual 
horrors,  ' '  Pathfinder,  you  have  professed  love  for  me — a 
wish  to  make  me  your  wife  ! ' ' 

"I  did  ventur'  to  speak  on  that  subject,  Mabel,  and  the 
sergeant  has  even  lately  said  that  you  are  kindly  disposed ; 
but  I  am  not  a  man  to  parsecute  the  thing  I  love." 

' '  Hear  me,  Pathfinder  !  I  respect  you — honor  you — revere 
you ;  save  my  father  from  this  dreadful  death,  and  I  can 
worship  you.  Here  is  my  hand  as  a  solemn  pledge  for  my 
faith,  when  you  come  to  claim  it." 

' '  Bless  you — bless  you,  Mabel ;  this  is  more  than  I  de- 
sarve ;  more,  I  fear,  than  I  shall  know  how  to  profit  by,  as 
I  ought.  It  was  not  wanting,  however,  to  make  me  sarve 
the  sergeant.  We  are  old  comrades,  and  owe  each  other  a 
life ;  though  I  fear  me,  Mabel,  being  a  father's  comrade  is 
not  always  the  best  recommendation  with  the  daughter  ! ' ' 

"You  want  no  other  recommendation  than  your  own 
acts — your  courage — you  fidelity  ;  all  that  you  do  and 
say,  Pathfinder,  my  reason  approves,  and  the  heart  will> 
nay,  it  shall  follow." 

"  This  is  a  happiness  I  little  expected  this  night ;  but  we 
are  in  God's  hands,  and  He  will  protect  us  in  His  own  way. 
These  are  sweet  words,  Mabel,  but  they  were  not  wanting 
to  make  me  do  all  that  man  can  do,  in  the  present  sarcum- 
stances  ;  they  will  not  lessen  my  endeavors  neither. ' ' 

' '  Now  we  understand  each  other,  Pathfinder, ' '  Mabel 
added  hoarsely,  "let  us  not  lose  one  of  the  precious  mo- 
ments, which  may  be  of  incalculable  value.  Can  we  not 
get  into  your  canoe,  and  go  and  meet  my  father  ? ' ' 

"That  is  not  the  course  I  advise.  I  don't  know  by  which 
channel  the  sergeant  will  come,  and  there  are  twenty  ;  rely 
on  it,  the  Sarpent  will  be  winding  his  way  through  them 
all.  No,  no,  my  advice  is  to  remain  here.  The  logs  of 
this  block-house  are  still  green,  and  it  will  not  be  easy  to 
set  them  on  fire  ;  and  I  can  make  good  the  place,  bating  a 
burning,  agin  a  tribe.  The  Iroquois  nation  cannot  dislodge 
me  from  this  fortress,  so  long  as  we  can  keep  the  flames 
off  it.  The  sergeant  is  now  'camped  on  some  island,  and 
will  not  come  in  until  morning.  If  we  hold  the  block,  we 


402  ftbe  patbfinfcer 

can  give  him  timely  warning,  by  firing  rifles  for  instance  ; 
and  should  he  determine  to  attack  the  savages,  as  a  man 
of  his  temper  will  be  very  likely  to  do,  the  possession  of 
this  building  will  be  of  great  account  in  the  affair.  No,  no  ; 
my  judgment  says  remain,  if  the  object  be  to  sarve  the 
sergeant ;  though  escape  for  our  two  selves  will  be  no  very 
difficult  matter." 

"Stay,"  murmured  Mabel,  "stay,  for  God's  sake,  Path- 
finder. Anything — everything,  to  save  my  father  !  " 

"Yes,  that  is  natur'.  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  this, 
Mabel,  for  I  own  a  wish  to  see  the  sergeant  fairly  sup- 
ported. As  the  matter  now  stands,  he  has  gained  himself 
credit ;  and  could  he  once  drive  off  these  miscreants,  and 
make  an  honorable  retreat,  laying  the  huts  and  block  in 
ashes,  no  doubt,  no  doubt,  Lundie  would  remember  it,  and 
sarve  him  accordingly.  Yes,  yes,  Mabel,  we  must  not  only 
save  the  sergeant's  life,  but  we  must  save  his  ripitation." 

' '  No  blame  can  rest  on  my  father,  on  account  of  the 
surprise  of  this  island  ! ' ' 

"There's  no  telling— there's  no  telling;  military  glory 
is  a  most  unsartain  thing.  I  've  seen  the  Delawares  routed, 
when  they  desarved  more  credit  than  at  other  times  when 
they  've  carried  the  day.  A  man  is  wrong  to  set  his  head 
on  success  of  any  sort,  and  worst  of  all,  on  success  in  war. 
I  know  little  of  the  settlements,  or  of  the  notions  that  men 
hold  in  them ;  but,  up  hereaway,  even  the  Indians  rate  a 
warrior's  character  according  to  his  luck.  The  principal 
thing  with  a  soldier  is,  never  to  be  whipt ;  nor  do  I  think 
mankind  stops  long  to  consider  how  the  day  was  won  or 
lost.  For  my  part,  Mabel,  I  make  it  a  rule  when  facing 
the  inimy,  to  give  him  as  good  as  I  can  send,  and  to  try  to 
be  moderate  as  I  can,  when  we  get  the  better ;  as  for  feel- 
ing moderate  after  a  defeat,  little  need  be  said  on  that  score, 
as  a  flogging  is  one  of  the  most  humbling  things  in  natuf. 
The  parsons  preach  about  humility,  in  the  garrisons ;  but 
if  humility  would  make  Christians,  the  king's  troops  ought 
to  be  saints,  for  they  've  done  little,  as  yet,  this  war.,  but 
take  lessons  from  the  French,  beginning  at  Fort  du  Quesne, 
and  ending  atTy !" 


jpatbfin&er  403 


"  My  father  could  not  have  suspected  that  the  position  of 
the  island  was  known  to  the  enemy,"  resumed  Mabel,  whose 
thoughts  were  running  on  the  probable  effect  of  the  recent 
events,  on  the  sergeant. 

"That  is  true;  nor  do  I  well  see  how  the  Frenchers 
found  it  out.  The  spot  is  well  chosen,  and  it  is  not  an  easy 
matter,  even  for  one  who  has  travelled  the  road  to  and  from 
it,  to  find  it  again.  There  has  been  treachery,  I  fear ;  yes, 
yes,  there  must  have  been  treachery  ! ' ' 

"  O  !  Pathfinder,  can  this  be  ?  " 

"Nothing  is  easier,  Mabel,  for  treachery  comes  as  nat'ral 
to  some  men,  as  eating.  Now,  when  I  find  a  man  all  fair 
words,  I  look  close  to  his  deeds;  for  when  the  heart  is 
right,  and  raally  intends  to  do  good,  it  is  generally  satisfied 
to  let  the  conduct  speak,  instead  of  the  tongue." 

' '  Jasper  Western  is  not  one  of  these, ' '  said  Mabel,  impetu- 
ously. "No  youth  can  be  more  sincere  in  his  manner,  or 
less  apt  to  make  the  tongue  act  for  the  head." 

' '  Jasper  Western  !  tongue  and  heart  are  both  right  with 
that  lad,  depend  on  it,  Mabel ;  and  the  notion  taken  up  by 
Lundie,  and  the  quartermaster,  and  the  sergeant,  and  your 
uncle,  too,  is  as  wrong  as  it  would  be  to  think  that  the  sun 
shone  by  night,  and  the  stars  shone  by  day.  No,  no  ;  I  '11 
answer  for  Kau-douce's  honesty  with  my  own  scalp,  or,  at 
need,  with  my  own  rifle." 

"Bless  you — bless  you,  Pathfinder!"  exclaimed  Mabel, 
extending  her  own  hand,  and  pressing  the  iron  fingers  of  her 
companion,  under  a  state  of  feeling  that  far  surpassed  her 
own  consciousness  of  its  strength.  "You  are  all  that  is 
generous — all  that  is  noble  ;  God  will  reward  you  for  it. ' ' 

"Ah  !  Mabel,  I  fear  me,  if  this  be  true,  I  should  not  covet 
such  a  wife  as  yourself,  but  would  leave  you  to  be  sued  for 
by  some  gentleman  of  the  garrison,  as  your  desarts  require  !  " 

' '  We  will  not  talk  of  this  any  more  to-night, ' '  Mabel 
answered,  in  a  voice  so  smothered  as  to  seem  nearly  choked. 
"  We  must  think  less  of  ourselves,  just  now,  Pathfinder,  and 
more  of  our  friends.  But  I  rejoice  from  my  soul  that  you 
believe  Jasper  innocent.  Now  let  us  talk  of  other  things ; 
ought  we  not  to  release  June  ? ' ' 


4o4 


"  I  've  been  thinking  about  the  woman,  for  it  will  not  be 
safe  to  shut  our  eyes  and  leave  hers  open,  on  this  side  of 
the  block-house  door.  If  we  put  her  in  the  upper  room  and 
take  away  the  ladder,  she  '11  be  a  prisoner  at  least." 

' '  I  cannot  treat  one  thus  who  has  saved  my  life.  It  would 
be  better  to  let  her  depart ;  I  think  she  is  too  much  my 
friend  to  do  anything  to  harm  me." 

"You  do  not  know  the  race,  Mabel;  you  do  not  know 
the  race.  It 's  true  she 's  not  a  full-blooded  Mingo,  but  she 
consorts  with  the  vagabonds,  and  must  have  1'arned  some 
of  their  tricks.  What  is  that  ?  " 

"It  sounds  like  oars — some  boat  is  passing  through  the 
channel  !  ' ' 

Pathfinder  closed  the  trap  that  led  to  the  lower  room,  to 
prevent  June  from  escaping,  extinguished  the  candle,  and 
went  hastily  to  a  loop,  Mabel  looking  over  his  shoulder  in 
breathless  curiosity.  These  several  movements  consumed  a 
minute  or  two  ;  and  by  the  time  the  eye  of  the  scout  had  got 
a  dim  view  of  things  without,  two  boats  had  swept  past,  and 
shot  up  to  the  shore,  at  a  spot  some  fifty  yards  beyond  the 
block,  where  there  was  a  regular  landing.  The  obscurity 
prevented  more  from  being  seen  ;  and  Pathfinder  whispered 
to  Mabel,  that  the  new-comers  were  as  likely  to  be  foes  as 
friends,  for  he  did  not  think  her  father  could  possibly  have 
arrived  so  soon.  A  number  of  men  were  now  seen  to  quit 
the  boats,  and  then  followed  three  hearty  English  cheers, 
leaving  no  further  doubts  of  the  character  of  the  party. 
Pathfinder  sprang  to  the  trap,  raised  it,  glided  down  the  lad- 
der, and  began  to  unbar  the  door  with  an  earnestness  that 
proved  how  critical  he  deemed  the  moment.  Mabel  had 
followed,  but  she  rather  impeded  than  aided  his  exertions, 
and  but  a  single  bar  was  turned  when  a  heavy  discharge 
of  rifles  was  heard.  They  were  still  standing  in  breathless 
suspense,  as  the  war-whoop  rang  in  all  the  surrounding 
thickets.  The  door  now  opened,  and  both  Pathfinder  and 
Mabel  rushed  into  the  open  air.  All  human  sounds  had 
ceased.  After  listening  half  a  minute,  however,  Pathfinder 
thought  he  heard  a  few  stifled  groans  near  the  boats  ;  but 
the  wind  blew  so  fresh,  and  the  rustling  of  the  leaves 


jpatbfinfcer  405 


mingled  so  much  with  the  murmurs  of  the  passing  air,  that 
he  was  far  from  certain.  But  Mabel  was  borne  away  by  her 
feelings,  and  she  rushed  by  him,  taking  the  way  towards 
the  boats. 

' '  This  will  not  do,  Mabel, ' '  said  the  scout  in  an  earnest 
but  low  voice,  seizing  her  by  an  arm, — "  this  will  never  do. 
Sartaiu  death  would  follow,  and  that  without  sarving  any 
one.  We  must  return  to  the  block." 

"Father! — my  poor,  dear,  murdered  father!"  said  the 
girl  wildly,  though  habitual  caution,  even  at  that  trying 
moment,  induced  her  to  speak  low.  ' '  Pathfinder,  if  you 
love  me,  let  me  go  to  my  dear  father  ! ' ' 

"This  will  not  do,  Mabel.  It  is  singular  that  no  one 
speaks  ;  no  one  from  the  boats  returns  the  fire — and  I  have 
left  Killdeer  in  the  block  !  But  of  what  use  would  a  rifle  be 
when  no  one  is  to  be  seen  ! ' ' 

At  that  moment  the  quick  eye  of  Pathfinder,  which,  while 
he  held  Mabel  firmly  in  his  grasp,  had  never  ceased  to  roam 
over  the  dim  scene,  caught  an  indistinct  view  of  five  or  six 
dark,  crouching  forms,  endeavoring  to  steal  past  him,  doubt- 
less with  the  intention  of  intercepting  their  retreat  to  the 
block-house.  Catching  up  Mabel,  and  putting  her  under  an 
arm  as  if  she  were  an  infant,  the  sinewy  frame  of  the  woods- 
man was  exerted  to  the  utmost,  and  he  succeeded  in  entering 
the  building.  The  tramp  of  his  pursuers  seemed  immedi- 
ately at  his  heels.  Dropping  his  burden,  he  turned,  closed 
the  door,  and  had  fastened  one  bar,  as  a  rush  against  the 
solid  mass  threatened  to  force  it  from  the  hinges.  To  secure 
the  other  bar  was  the  work  of  an  instant. 

Mabel  now  ascended  to  the  first  floor,  while  Pathfinder 
remained  as  a  sentinel  below.  Our  heroine  was  in  that  state 
in  which  the  body  exerts  itself  apparently  without  the  con- 
trol of  the  mind.  She  relighted  the  candle  mechanically, 
as  her  companion  had  desired,  and  returned  with  it  below, 
where  he  was  waiting  her  reappearance.  No  sooner  was 
Pathfinder  in  possession  of  the  light  than  he  examined  the 
place  carefully,  to  make  certain  no  one  was  concealed  in  the 
fortress,  ascending  to  each  floor  in  succession,  after  assuring 
himself  that  he  left  no  enemy  in  his  rear.  The  result  was 


406  ftbe  patbfinber 


the  conviction  that  the  block- house  now  contained  no  one 
but  Mabel  and  himself,  June  having  escaped.  When  per- 
fectly convinced  on  this  material  point,  Pathfinder  rejoined 
our  heroine  in  the  principal  apartment,  setting  down  the 
light,  and  examining  the  priming  of  Killdeer  before  he 
seated  himself. 

"  Our  worst  fears  are  realized,"  said  Mabel,  to  whom  the 
hurry  and  excitement  of  the  last  five  minutes  appeared  to 
contain  the  emotions  of  a  life.  ' '  My  beloved  father,  and  all 
his  party,  are  slain  or  captured  ! ' ' 

"We  don't  know  that — morning  will  tell  us  all.  I  do 
not  think  the  affair  as  settled  as  that,  or  we  should  hear  the 
vagabond  Mingos  yelling  out  their  triumph  around  the 
block-house.  Of  one  thing  we  may  be  sartain  ;  if  the  inimy 
has  really  got  the  better,  he  will  not  be  long  in  calling  upon 
us  to  surrender.  The  squaw  will  let  him  into  the  secret  of 
our  situation,  and,  as  they  well  know  the  place  cannot  be 
fired  by  daylight  so  long  as  Killdeer  continues  to  desarve  his 
reputation,  you  may  depend  on  it,  that  they  will  not  be 
backward  in  making  their  attempt  while  darkness  helps 
them." 

"Surely,  I  hear  a  groan  !  " 

"'Tis  fancy,  Mabel, — when  the  mind  gets  to  be  skeary, 
especially  a  woman's  mind,  she  often  consaits  things  that 
have  no  reality.  I  've  known  them  that  imagined  there  was 
truth  in  dreams —  " 

"  Nay,  I  am  not  deceived  ;  there  is  surely  one  below,  and 
in  pain  ! ' ' 

Pathfinder  was  compelled  to  own  that  the  quick  senses  of 
Mabel  had  not  deceived  her.  He  cautioned  her,  however, 
to  repress  her  feelings ;  and  reminded  her  that  the  savages 
were  in  the  practice  of  resorting  to  every  artifice  to  attain 
their  ends,  and  that  nothing  was  more  likely  than  that  the 
groans  were  feigned  with  a  view  to  lure  them  from  the 
block-house,  or  at  least  to  induce  them  to  open  the  door. 

"  No,  no,  no,"  said  Mabel,  hurriedly,  "there  is  no  artifice 
in  those  sounds,  and  they  come  from  anguish  of  body,  if  not 
of  spirit.  They  are  fearfully  natural." 

"Well,  we  shall  soon  know  whether  a  friend  is  there  or 


Ube  patbffnfcer  407 


not.  Hide  the  light  again,  Mabel,  and  I  will  speak  the 
person  from  a  loop." 

Not  a  little  precaution  was  necessary,  according  to  Path- 
finder's judgment  and  experience,  in  performing  even  this- 
simple  act,  for  he  had  known  the  careless  slain  by  their  wanr 
of  proper  attention  to  what  might  have  seemed  to  the  igno- 
rant, supererogatory  means  of  safety.  He  did  not  place  his- 
mouth  to  the  loop  itself,  but  so  near  it  that  he  could  be 
heard  without  raising  his  voice,  and  the  same  precaution  was 
observed  as  regards  his  ear. 

' '  Who  is  below  ? ' '  Pathfinder  demanded,  when  his  ar- 
rangements were  made  to  his  mind.  ' '  Is  any  one  in  suffer- 
ing? If  a  friend,  speak  boldly,  and  depend  on  our  aid." 

' '  Pathfinder ! ' '  answered  a  voice  that  both  Mabel  and 
the  person  addressed  at  once  knew  to  be  the  sergeant'  s> 
' '  Pathfinder,  in  the  name  of  God,  tell  me  what  has  become 
of  iny  daughter  ? ' ' 

"  Father,  I  am  here  !  unhurt — safe  ;  and  O  !  that  I  could 
think  the  same  of  you  ! ' ' 

The  ejaculation  of  thanksgiving  that  followed  was  dis- 
tinctly audible  to  the  two,  but  it  was  clearly  mingled  with  a 
groan  of  pain. 

"  My  worst  forebodings  are  realized  !  "  said  Mabel,  with 
a  sort  of  desperate  calmness.  ' '  Pathfinder,  my  father  must 
be  brought  within  the  block,  though  we  hazard  everything 
to  do  it." 

"This  is  natur',  and  it  is  the  law  of  God.  But,  Mabel, 
be  calm,  and  endivor  to  be  cool.  All  that  can  be  effected 
for  the  sergeant  by  human  invention,  shall  be  done.  I  only 
ask  you  to  be  cool." 

' '  I  am — I  am,  Pathfinder.  Never  in  my  life  was  I  more 
calm,  more  collected,  than  at  this  moment.  But  remembei 
how  perilous  may  be  every  instant ;  for  Heaven's  sake,  what 
we  do,  let  us  do  without  delay." 

Pathfinder  was  struck  with  the  firmness  of  Mabel's  tones, 
and  perhaps  he  was  a  little  deceived  by  the  forced  tranquil- 
lity and  self-possession  she  had  assumed.  At  all  events  he 
did  not  deem  any  further  explanations  necessary,  but  de- 
scended forthwith,  and  began  to  unbar  the  door.  This 


4o8 


delicate  process  was  conducted  with  the  usual  caution,  but 
as  he  warily  permitted  the  mass  of  timber  to  swing  back  on 
the  hinges,  he  felt  a  pressure  against  it  that  had  nearly 
induced  him  to  close  it  again.  But  catching  a  glimpse  of 
the  cause  through  the  crack,  the  door  was  permitted 'to 
swing  back,  when  the  body  of  Sergeant  Dunham,  which 
was  propped  against  itt  fell  partly  within  the  block.  To 
draw  in  the  legs  and  secure  the  fastenings,  occupied  the 
Pathfinder  but  a  moment.  Then  there  existed  no  obstacle 
to  their  giving  their  undivided  care  to  the  wounded  man. 

Mabel,  in  this  trying  scene,  conducted  herself  with  the 
sort  of  unnatural  energy  that  her  sex,  when  aroused,  is  apt 
to  manifest.  She  got  the  light,  administered  water  to  the 
parched  lips  of  her  father,  and  assisted  Pathfinder  in  form- 
ing a  bed  of  straw  for  his  body,  and  a  pillow  of  clothes  for 
his  head.  All  this  was  done  earnestly,  and  almost  without 
speaking ;  nor  did  Mabel  shed  a  tear  until  she  heard  the 
blessings  of  her  father  murmured  on  her  head,  for  this  ten- 
derness and  care.  All  this  time,  Mabel  had  merely  conjec- 
tured the  condition  of  her  parent.  Pathfinder,  however, 
showed  greater  attention  to  the  physical  danger  of  the 
sergeant.  He  ascertained  that  a  rifle  ball  had  passed 
through  the  body  of  the  wounded  man ;  and  he  was  suffi- 
ciently familiar  with  injuries  of  this  nature,  to  be  certain 
that  the  chances  of  his  surviving  the  hurt  were  very  tri- 
fling, if  any. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

"  Then  drink  my  tears,  while  yet  they  fall ; 
Would  that  my  bosom's  blood  were  balm ; 
And  well  thou  knowest  I  'd  shed  it  all, 
To  give  thy  brow  one  minute's  calm." 

MOORS. 

THE  eyes  of  Sergeant  Dunham  had  not  ceased  to 
follow  the  form  of  his  beautiful  daughter  from  the 
moment  that  the  light  appeared.  He  next  ex- 
amined the  door  of  the  block,  to  ascertain  its  secu- 
rity ;  for  he  was  left  on  the  ground  below,  there  being  no 
available  means  of  raising  him  to  the  upper  floor.  Then  he 
sought  the  face  of  Mabel ;  for  as  life  wanes  fast,  the  affec- 
tions resume  their  force,  and  we  begin  to  value  that  most 
which  we  feel  we  are  about  to  lose  forever. 

"  God  be  praised,  my  child,  you  at  least  have  escaped  their 
murderous  rifles  !  "  he  said  ;  for  he  spoke  with  strength,  and 
seemingly  with  no  additional  pain.  "Give  me  the  history 
of  this  sad  business,  Pathfinder." 

"  Ah  's  me,  sergeant !  it  has  been  sad,  as  you  say.  That 
there  has  been  treachery,  and  the  position  of  the  island  has 
been  betrayed,  is  now  as  sartain,  in  my  judgment,  as  that 
we  still  hold  the  block.  But— ' ' 

"  Major  Duncan  was  right,"  interrupted  Dunham,  laying 
a  hand  on  the  other's  arm. 

"  Not  in  the  sense  you  mean,  sergeant — no,  not  in  that 
p'int  of  view  ;  never.  At  least,  not  in  my  opinion.  I  know 
that  natur'  is  weak — human  natur',  I  mean — and  that  we 
should  none  of  us  vaunt  of  our  gifts,  whether  red  or  white  ; 
but  I  do  not  think  a  truer-hearted  lad  lives  on  the  lines  than 
Jasper  Western. ' ' 


4io  Ube  patbffn&er 

"  Bless  you — bless  you  for  that,  Pathfinder !  "  burst  forth 
from  Mabel's  very  soul,  while  a  flood  of  tears  gave  vent  to 
emotions  that  were  so  varied,  while  they  were  so  violent : 
"  O,  bless  you,  Pathfinder,  bless  you!  The  brave  should 
never  desert  the  brave — the  honest  should  sustain  the 
honest. ' ' 

The  father's  eyes  fastened  anxiously  on  the  face  of  his 
daughter,  until  the  latter  hid  her  countenance  in  her  apron 
to  conceal  her  tears  ;  and  then  they  turned  with  inquiry  to 
the  hard  features  of  the  guide.  The  latter  merely  wore 
their  usual  expression  of  frankness,  sincerity,  and  upright- 
ness ;  and  the  sergeant  motioned  to  him  to  proceed. 

"You  know  the  spot  where  the  Sarpent  and  I  left  you, 
sergeant,"  Pathfinder  resumed;  "and  I  need  say  nothing 
of  all  that  happened  afore.  It  is  now  too  late  to  lament 
what  is  gone  and  passed ;  but  I  do  think  if  I  had  stayed 
with  the  boats,  this  would  not  have  come  to  pass  !  Other 
men  may  be  as  good  guides  ;  I  make  no  doubt  they  are  : 
but  then  natur'  bestows  its  gifts,  and  some  must  be  better 
than  other  some.  I  dare  say  poor  Gilbert,  who  took  my 
place,  has  suffered  for  his  mistake." 

He  fell  at  my  elbow, ' '  the  sergeant  answered,  in  a  low, 
melancholy  tone.  "We  have,  indeed,  all  suffered  for  our 
mistakes ! ' ' 

"No,  no,  sergeant,  I  meant  no  condemnation  on  you  ;  for 
men  were  never  better  commanded  than  your'n,  in  this  very 
expedition.  I  never  beheld  a  prettier  flanking  ;  and  the 
way  in  which  you  carried  your  own  boat  up  agin  their 
howitzer  might  have  teached  Lundie  himself  a  lesson." 

The  eyes  of  the  sergeant  brightened  ;  his  face  even  wore 
an  expression  of  military  triumph,  though  it  was  of  a  degree 
that  suited  the  humble  sphere  in  which  he  had  been  an 
actor. 

"T  was  not  badly  done,  my  friend,"  he  said;  "we 
carried  their  log  breast- work  by  storm  !  " 

'  'T  was  nobly  done,  sergeant ;  though  I  fear  when  all  the 
truth  comes  to  be  known,  it  will  be  found  that  these  vaga- 
bonds have  got  their  howitzer  back  ag'in.  Well,  well,  put  a 
stout  heart  upon  it,  and  try  to  forget  all  that  is  disagreeable, 


patbfinfcer  411 


and  to  remember  only  the  pleasant  part  of  the  matter.  That 
is  your  truest  philosophy  ;  ay,  and  truest  religion  too.  If 
the  inimy  has  got  the  howitzer  ag'in,  they  've  only  got  what 
belonged  to  them  afore,  and  what  we  could  n't  help.  They 
haven't  got  the  block-house  yet,  nor  are  they  likely  to  get  it, 
unless  they  fire  it  in  the  dark.  Well,  sergeant,  the  Sarpent 
and  I  separated  about  ten  miles  down  the  river ;  for  we 
thought  it  wisest  not  to  come  upon  even  a  friendly  camp 
without  the  usual  caution.  What  has  become  of  Chingach- 
gook,  I  cannot  say  ;  though  Mabel  tells  me  he  is  not  far  off; 
and  I  make  no  question  the  noble-hearted  Delaware  is  doing 
his  duty,  although  he  is  not  now  visible  to  our  eyes.  Mark 
my  word,  sergeant  ;  before  this  matter  is  over,  we  shall  heat 
of  him  at  some  critical  time,  and  that  in  a  discreet  and  credit- 
able manner.  Ah  !  the  Sarpent  is,  indeed,  a  wise  and  virtu- 
ous chief ;  and  any  white  man  might  covet  his  gifts,  though 
his  rifle  is  not  quite  as  sure  as  Killdeer,  it  must  be  owned. 
Well,  as  I  came  near  the  island,  I  missed  the  smoke,  and 
that  put  me  on  my  guard  ;  for  I  knew  that  the  men  of  the 
55th  were  not  cunning  enough  to  conceal  that  sign,  notwith- 
standing all  that  has  been  told  them  of  its  danger.  This 
made  me  more  careful,  until  I  came  in  sight  of  this  mock- 
fisherman,  as  I've  just  told  Mabel ;  and  then  the  whole  of 
their  infernal  arts  was  as  plain  before  me,  as  if  I  saw  it  on  a 
map.  I  need  not  tell  you,  sergeant,  that  my  first  thoughts 
were  of  Mabel ;  and  that,  finding  she  was  in  the  block,  I 
came  here,  in  order  to  live  or  die  in  her  company." 

The  father  turned  a  gratified  look  upon  his  child,  and 
Mabel  felt  a  sinking  of  the  heart  that,  at  such  a  moment, 
she  could  not  have  thought  possible,  when  she  wished  to 
believe  all  her  concern  centred  in  the  situation  of  her  par- 
ent. As  the  latter  held  out  his  hand  she  took  it  in  her  own, 
and  kissed  it.  Then  kneeling  at  his  side,  she  wept  as  if  her 
heart  would  break. 

"Mabel,"  he  said,  steadily,  "the  will  of  God  must  be 
done.  It  is  useless  to  attempt  deceiving  either  you  or  my- 
self; my  time  has  come,  and  it  is  a  consolation  to  me  to  die 
like  a  soldier.  I,undie  will  do  me  justice,  for  our  good 
friend  Pathfinder  will  tell  him  what  has  been  done,  and 


4i*  Cbc  patbfinfcer 


how  all  came  to  pass.  You  do  not  forget  oar  last  conver- 
sation?" 

4 "Nay,  father,  my  time  has  probably  come,  too,"  ex- 
claimed Mabel,  who  felt  just  then  as  if  it  would  be  a  relief 
to  die.  ''  I  cannot  hope  to  escape  ;  and  Pathfinder  would  do 
wen  to  leave  us,  and  return  to  the  garrison,  with  the  sad 
news,  while  he  can." 

**  Mabel  Dunham."  said  Pathfinder,  reproachfuUy,  though 
he  took  her  hand  with  kindness.  ' '  I  have  not  desarved 
this ;  I  know  I  am  wild,  and  uncouth,  and  ungainly —  " 

"Pathfinder!" 

"  Wett— wen,  we  *n  forget  it ;  you  did  not  mean  it ;  you 
could  not  think  it.  It  is  useless,  now,  to  talk  of  escaping, 
for  the  sergeant  cannot  be  moved;  and  the  block-house 
must  be  defended,  cost  what  it  wflL  Maybe  Lundie  will  get 
the  tidings  of  our  disaster,  and  send  a  party  to  raise  the 
siege." 

M  Pathfinder— Mabel !  "  said  the  sergeant,  who  had  been 
writhing  with  pain,  until  the  cold  sweat  stood  on  his  fore- 
head, "  come  both  to  my  side.  You  understand  each  other, 
I  hope?" 

"  Father,  say  nothing  of  that — it  is  all  as  yon  wish." 

"  Thank  God  !  Give  me  your  hand,  Mabel— here.  Path- 
finder, take  it.  I  ran  do  no  more  than  give  you  the  girl  in 
this  way.  I  know  you  will  make  her  a  kind  husband.  Do 
not  wait  on  account  of  my  death  ;  there  win  be  a  chaplain 
in  the  fort,  before  the  season  closes  ;  let  him  marry  you  at 
once.  My  brother,  if  living,  win  wish  to  go  back  to  his 
vessel,  and  then  the  child  wfll  have  no  protector.  Mabel, 
your  husband  win  have  been  my  friend,  and  that  win  be 
some  consolation  to  you,  I  hope." 

"Trust  this  matter  to  me,  sergeant"  put  in  Pathfinder  ; 
''  leave  it  all  in  my  hands,  as  your  dving  request ;  and  de- 
pend on  it,  all  will  go  as  it  should." 

"  I  ^° — I  do  put  all  confidence  in  you,  my  trusty  friend, 
and  empower  you  to  act,  as  I  could  act  myself,  in  every  par- 
ticular. Mabel,  child— hand  me  the  water— you  wfll  never 
repent  this  night.  Bless  you,  my  daughter-^God  bless  and 
have  you  in  his  holy  keeping !  " 


patbfinto  413 


This  tenderness  was  inexpressibly  touching  to  one  of 
Mabel's  feelings  ;  and  she  felt  at  that  moment,  as  if  her 
future  union  with  Pathfinder  had  received  a  solemnization 
:hat  no  ceremony  of  the  Church  could  render  more  holy. 
Still,  a  weight,  as  that  of  a  mountain,  lay  upon  her  heart,  and 
«5he  thought  it  would  be  happiness  to  die.  Then  followed 
a  short  pause,  when  the  sergeant,  in  broken  sentences,  briefly 
related  what  had  passed  since  he  parted  with  Pathfinder 
and  the  Delaware.  The  wind  had  become  more  favora- 
ble, and  instead  of  encamping  on  an  island,  agreeably  to  the 
original  intention,  he  had  determined  to  continue,  and  reach 
the  station  that  night.  Their  approach  would  have  been 
unseen,  and  a  portion  of  the  calamity  avoided,  he  thought, 
had  they  not  grounded  on  the  point  of  a  neighboring  i<£*nAm 
where,  no  doubt,  the  noise  made  by  the  men,  in  getting  off 
the  boat,  gave  notice  of  their  approach,  and  enabled  the 
enemy  to  be  in  readiness  to  receive  them.  They  had  landed 
without  the  slightest  suspicion  of  danger,  though  surprised 
at  not  finding  a  sentinel,  and  had  actually  left  their  anus  in 
the  boat,  with  the  intention  of  first  securing  their  knapsacks 
and  provisions.  The  fire  had  been  so  close,  that  notwith- 
standing the  obscurity,  it  was  very  deadly.  Every  man  had 
fallen ;  two  or  three,  however,  subsequently  arose,  and  dis- 
appeared. Four  or  five  of  the  soldiers  had  been  killed,  or 
so  nearly  so  as  to  survive  but  a  few  minutes ;  though,  for 
some  unknown  reason,  the  enemy  did  not  make  the  usual 
rush  for  the  scalps.  Sergeant  Dunham  fefl  with  others  ;  and 
he  had  heard  the  voice  of  Mabel,  as  she  rushed  from  the 
block-house.  This  frantic  appeal  aroused  all  his  parental 
feelings,  and  had  enabled  him  to  crawl  as  far  as  the  door  of 
the  building,  where  he  had  raised  himself  against  the  logs, 
in  the  manner  already  mentioned. 

After  this  simple  explanation  was  made,  the  sergeant  was 
so  weak  as  to  need  repose  ;  and  his  companions,  while  they 
ministered  to  his  wants,  suffered  some  time  to  pass  in  silence. 
Pathfinder  took  the  occasion  to  reconnoitre  from  the  loops 
and  the  roof,  and  he  examined  the  condition  of  the  rifles,  of 
which  there  were  a  dozen  kept  in  the  building,  the  soldiers 
having  used  their  regimental  muskets  in  the  expedition.  But 


4i4  ^be  patbfinfcer 


Mabel  never  left  her  father's  side  for  an  instant,  and  when, 
by  his  breathing,  she  fancied  he  slept,  she  bent  her  knees 
and  prayed. 

The  half  hour  that  succeeded  was  awfully  solemn  and 
still.  The  moccasin  of  Pathfinder  was  barely  heard  over- 
head, and  occasionally  the  sound  of  the  breech  of  a  rifle  fell 
upon  the  floor,  for  he  was  busied  in  examining  the  pieces, 
with  a  view  to  ascertain  the  state  of  their  charges,  and  their 
primings.  Beyond  this  nothing  was  so  loud  as  the  breath- 
ing of  the  wounded  man.  Mabel's  heart  yearned  to  be  in 
communication  with  the  father  she  was  so  soon  to  lose,  and 
yet  she  would  not  disturb  his  apparent  repose.  But  Dunham 
slept  not ;  he  was  in  that  state  when  the  world  suddenly 
loses  its  attractions,  its  illusions,  and  its  power ;  and  the 
unknown  future  fills  the  mind  with  its  conjectures,  its  reve- 
lations, and  its  immensity.  He  had  been  a  moral  man  for 
one  of  his  mode  of  life,  but  he  had  thought  little  of  this  all- 
important  moment.  Had  the  din  of  battle  been  ringing  in 
his  ears,  his  martial  ardor  might  have  endured  to  the  end  ; 
but  there,  in  the  silence  of  that  nearly  untenanted  block- 
house, with  no  sound  to  enliven  him,  no  appeal  to  keep 
alive  factitious  sentiment,  no  hope  of  victory  to  impel,  things 
began  to  appear  in  their  true  colors,  and  this  state  of  being 
to  be  estimated  at  its  just  value.  He  would  have  given 
treasures  for  religious  consolation,  yet  he  knew  not  where  to 
turn  to  seek  it.  He  thought  of  Pathfinder,  but  he  dis- 
trusted his  knowledge.  He  thought  of  Mabel ;  for  the  par- 
ent to  appeal  to  the  child  for  such  succor,  appeared  like 
reversing  the  order  of  nature.  Then  it  was  that  he  felt  the 
full  responsibility  of  the  parental  character,  and  had  some 
clear  glimpses  of  the  manner  in  which  he  himself  had  dis- 
charged the  trust  towards  an  orphan  child.  While  thoughts 
like  these  were  rising  in  his  mind,  Mabel,  who  watched  the 
slightest  change  in  his  breathing,  heard  a  guarded  knock  at 
the  door.  Supposing  it  might  be  Chingachgook,  she  rose, 
undid  two  of  the  bars,  and  held  the  third  in  her  hand,  as 
she  asked  who  was  there.  The  answer  was  in  her  uncle's 
voice,  and  he  implored  her  to  give  him  immediate  admission. 
Without  an  instant  of  hesitation,  she  turned  the  bar,  and 


ZTbe  patbfinfcer  415 


Cap  entered.  He  had  barely  passed  the  opening,  when  Mabel 
closed  the  door  again,  and  secured  it  as  before,  for  practice 
had  rendered  her  expert  in  this  portion  of  her  duties. 

The  sturdy  seaman,  when  he  had  made  sure  of  the  state 
of  his  brother-in-law,  and  that  Mabel  as  well  as  himself, 
was  safe,  was  softened  nearly  to  tears.  His  own  appearance 
he  explained  by  saying  that  he  had  been  carelessly  guarded, 
under  the  impression  that  he  and  the  quartermaster  were 
sleeping  under  the  fumes  of  liquor  with  which  they  had 
been  plied,  with  a  view  to  keep  them  quiet  in  the  expected 
engagement.  Muir  had  been  left  asleep,  or  seeming  to  sleep; 
but  Cap  had  run  into  the  bushes,  on  the  alarm  of  the  attack, 
and  having  found  Pathfinder's  canoe,  had  only  succeeded, 
at  that  moment,  in  getting  to  the  block-house,  whither  he 
had  come  with  the  kind  intent  of  escaping  with  his  niece  by 
water.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say,  that  he  changed  his 
plan  when  he  ascertained  the  state  of  the  sergeant,  and  the 
apparent  security  of  his  present  quarters. 

"  If  the  worst  comes  to  the  worst,  Master  Pathfinder,"  he 
said,  "we  must  strike,  and  that  will  entitle  us  to  quarter. 
We  owe  it  to  our  manhood  to  hold  out  a  reasonable  time, 
and  to  ourselves  to  haul  down  the  ensign  in  season  to  make 
saving  conditions.  I  wished  Master  Muir  to  do  the  same 
thing,  when  we  were  captured  by  these  chaps  you  call  vag- 
abonds,— and  rightly  are  they  named,  for  viler  vagabonds 
do  not  walk  the  earth — ' ' 

"  You  've  found  out  their  characters  !  "  interrupted  Path- 
finder, who  was  always  as  ready  to  chime  in  with  abuse  of 
the  Mingos,  as  with  the  praises  of  his  friends.  "  Now,  had 
you  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Delawares,  you  would  have 
1'arned  the  difference." 

"  Well,  to  me  they  seem  much  of  a  muchness  ;  blackguards 
fore  and  aft,  always  excepting  our  friend  the  Serpent,  who 
is  a  gentleman,  for  an  Injin.  But,  when  these  savages  made 
the  assault  on  us,  killing  Corporal  McNab  and  his  men,  as 
if  they  had  been  so  many  rabbits,  Lieutenant  Muir  and 
myself  took  refuge  in  one  of  the  holes  of  this  here  island, 
^f  whkh  there  are  so  many  among  the  rocks, — regular 
geological  underground  burrows  made  by  the  water,  as  the 


4i«  ttbe  fltetbfin&er 

lieutenant  says, — and  there  we  remained  stowed  away  like  two 
leaguers  in  a  ship's  hold,  until  we  gave  out  for  want  of  grub. 
A  man  may  say  that  grub  is  the  foundation  of  human  nature. 
I  desired  the  quartermaster  to  make  terms,  for  we  could 
have  defended  ourselves  for  an  hour  or  two  in  the  place,  bad 
as  it  was  ;  but  he  declined,  on  the  ground  that  the  knaves 
would  n't  keep  faith  if  any  of  them  were  hurt,  and  so  there 
was  no  use  in  asking  them  to.  I  consented  to  strike,  on  two 
principles  ;  one,  that  we  might  be  said  to  have  struck  already, 
for  running  below  is  generally  thought  to  be  giving  up  the 
ship  ;  and  the  other,  that  we  had  an  enemy  in  our  stomachs 
that  was  more  formidable  in  his  attacks  than  the  enemy  on 

deck.  Hunger  is  a  d ble  circumstance,  as  any  man  who 

has  lived  on  it  eight- and- forty  hours  will  acknowledge." 

"  Uncle  !  "  said  Mabel,  in  a  mournful  voice,  and  with  an 
expostulatory  manner,  "my  poor  father  is  sadly,  sadly  hurt." 

"True,  Magnet,  true ;  I  will  sit  by  him,  and  do  my  best 
at  consolation.  Are  the  bars  well  fastened,  girl  ?  on  such  an 
occasion,  the  mind  should  be  tranquil  and  undisturbed. ' ' 

"  We  are  safe,  I  believe,  from  all  but  this  heavy  blow  of 
Providence." 

' '  Well,  then,  Magnet,  do  you  go  up  to  the  deck  above, 
and  try  to  compose  yourself,  while  Pathfinder  runs  aloft  and 
takes  a  lookout  from  the  cross-trees.  Your  father  may  wish 
to  say  something  to  me,  in  private,  and  it  may  be  well  to 
leave  us  alone.  These  are  solemn  scenes,  and  inexperienced 
people,  like  myself,  do  not  always  wish  what  they  say  to  be 
overheard." 

Although  the  idea  of  her  uncle's  affording  religious  con- 
solation by  the  side  of  a  death-bed,  certainly  never  obtruded 
itself  on  the  imagination  of  Mabel,  she  thought  there  might 
be  a  propriety  in  the  request  with  which  she  was  unac- 
quainted ;  and  she  complied  accordingly.  Pathfinder  had 
already  ascended  to  the  roof  to  make  his  survey,  and  the 
brothers-in-law  were  left  alone.  Cap  took  a  seat  by  the 
side  of  the  sergeant,  and  bethought  him  seriously  of  the 
grave  duty  he  had  before  him.  A  silence  of  several  minutes 
succeeded,  during  which  brief  space  the  mariner  was  digest- 
ing the  substance  of  his  intended  discourse. 


Ube  lp>atbfint>er  417 


"I  must  say,  Sergeant  Dunham,"  Cap  at  length  com- 
menced, in  his  peculiar  manner,  "  that  there  has  been  mis- 
management somewhere  in  this  unhappy  expedition,  and, 
the  present  being  an  occasion  when  truth  ought  to  be  spoken, 
and  nothing  but  the  truth,  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  say  as  much 
in  plain  language.  In  short,  sergeant,  on  this  point  there 
cannot  well  be  two  opinions ;  for,  seaman  as  I  am,  and  no 
soldier,  I  can  see  several  errors  myself,  that  it  needs  no  great 
education  to  detect." 

"What  would  you  have,  brother  Cap!"  returned  the 
other,  in  a  feeble  voice  ;  ' '  what  is  done  is  done ;  it  is  now 
too  late  to  remedy  it." 

1 '  Very  true,  brother  Dunham,  but  not  to  repent  of  it ; 
the  Good  Book  tells  us  it  is  never  to  late  to  repent ;  and 
I've  always  heard  that  this  is  the  precious  moment.  If 
you  've  anything  on  your  mind,  sergeant,  hoist  it  out  freely, 
for  you  know  you  trust  it  to  a  friend.  You  were  my  own 
sister's  husband,  and  poor  little  Magnet  is  my  own  sister's 
daughter ;  and,  living  or  dead,  I  shall  always  look  upon  you 
as  a  brother.  It 's  a  thousand  pities  that  you  did  n't  lie  off 
and  on  with  the  boats,  and  send  a  canoe  ahead  to  reconnoitre  ; 
in  which  case  your  command  would  have  been  saved,  and 
this  disaster  would  not  have  befallen  us  all.  Well,  sergeant, 
we  are  all  mortal ;  that  is  some  consolation,  I  make  no  doubt ; 
and  if  you  go  before  a  little,  why,  we  must  follow.  Yes, 
that  must  give  him  consolation." 

"  I  know  all  this,  brother  Cap  ;  and  hope  I  'm  prepared 
to  meet  a  soldier's  fate  ;  there  is  poor  Mabel — " 

"Ay,  ay, — that's  a  heavy  drag,  I  know;  but  you 
would  n't  take  her  with  you,  if  you  could,  sergeant ;  and  so 
the  better  way  is  to  make  as  light  of  the  separation  as  you 
can.  Mabel  is  a  good  girl,  and  so  was  her  mother  before 
her,  she  was  my  sister,  and  it  shall  be  my  care  to  see  that 
her  daughter  gets  a  good  husband,  if  our  lives  and  scalps 
are  spared  ;  for  I  suppose  no  one  would  care  about  entering 
into  a  family  that  has  no  scalps." 

' '  Brother,  my  child  is  betrothed — she  will  become  the 
wife  of  Pathfinder." 

"Well,  brother  Dunham,  every  man  has  his  opinions,  and 


4r8  ttbe  patbfinber 


his  manner  of  viewing  things  ;  and  to  my  notion  this  match 
will  be  anything  but  agreeable  to  Mabel ;  I  have  no  objec- 
tions to  the  age  of  the  man ;  I  'm  not  one  of  them  that 
thinks  it  necessary  to  be  a  boy  to  make  a  girl  happy,  but 
c^  the  whole  I  prefer  a  man  of  about  fifty  for  a  husband  ; 
still,  there  ought  not  to  be  any  circumstance  between  the 
parties  to  make  them  unhappy.  Circumstances  play  the 
devil  with  matrimony  ;  and  I  set  it  down  as  one,  that  Path- 
finder don't  know  as  much  as  my  niece.  You  've  seen  but 
little  of  the  girl,  sergeant,  and  have  not  got  the  run  of  her 
knowledge ;  but  let  her  pay  it  out  freely,  as  she  will  do 
when  she  gets  to  be  thoroughly  acquainted  ;  and  you  '11  fall 
in  with  but  few  schoolmasters  that  can  keep  their  lufls  in 
her  company. ' ' 

"She's  a  good  child — a  dear,  good  child,"  muttered  the 
sergeant,  his  eyes  filling  with  tears  ;  "  it  is  my  misfortune 
that  I  have  seen  so  little  of  her." 

"She  is,  indeed,  a  good  girl,  and  knows  altogether  too 
much  for  poor  Pathfinder,  who  is  a  reasonable  man,  and  an 
experienced  man  in  his  own  way  ;  but  who  has  no  more 
idea  of  the  main  chance  than  you  have  of  spherical  trigo- 
nometry, sergeant." 

"Ah!  brother  Cap,  had  Pathfinder  been  with  us  in  the 
boats,  this  sad  affair  might  not  have  happened  !  " 

"That  is  quite  likely  ;  his  worst  enemy  will  allow  that 
the  man  is  a  good  guide  ;  but,  sergeant,  if  the  truth  must  be 
spoken  you  have  managed  this  expedition  in  a  loose  way, 
altogether :  you  should  have  hove-to  off  your  haven  and 
sent  in  a  boat  to  reconnoitre,  as  I  told  you  before.  That  is 
a  matter  to  be  repented  of;  and  I  tell  it  to  you  because 
truth,  in  such  a  case,  ought  to  be  spoken." 

"My  errors  are  dearly  paid  for,  brother ;  and  poor  Mabel, 
I  fear,  will  be  the  sufierer.  I  think,  however,  that  the 
calamity  would  not  have  happened  had  there  not  been 
treason.  I  fear  me,  brother,  that  Jasper  Eau-douce  has 
played  us  false  !" 

"That  is  just  my  notion;  this  fresh-water  life  must, 
sooner  or  later,  undermine  any  man's  morals.  Lieutenant 
Muir  and  myself  talked  this  matter  over,  while  we  lay  in  a 


Ube 


419 


bit  of  a  hole,  out  here,  on  this  island  ;  and  we  both  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  nothing  short  of  Jasper's  treachery  could 
have  brought  us  all  into  this  infernal  scrape.  Well,  ser- 
geant, you  had  better  compose  your  mind,  and  think  of  other 
matters  ;  when  a  vessel  is  about  to  enter  a  strange  port,  it 
is  more  prudent  to  think  of  the  anchorage  inside  than  to  be 
under-running  all  the  events  that  have  turned  up  during 
the  v'y'ge  ;  there's  the  log-book,  expressly  to  note  all  these 
matters  in  ;  and  what  stands  there  must  form  the  column 
of  figures  that's  to  be  posted  up,  for  or  against  us.  How 
now,  Pathfinder  !  is  there  anything  in  the  wind,  that  you 
come  down  the  ladder  like  an  Indian  in  the  wake  of  a 
scalp  ? ' ' 

The  guide  raised  a  finger  for  silence,  then  beckoned  to 
Cap  to  ascend  the  first  ladder,  and  to  allow  Mabel  to  take 
his  place  at  the  side  of  the  sergeant. 

"We  must  be  prudent,  and  we  must  be  bold,  too,"  he 
said,  in  a  low  voice.  ' '  The  riptyles  are  in  earnest  in  their 
intention  to  fire  the  block,  for  they  know  there  is  now 
nothing  to  be  gained  by  letting  it  stand.  I  hear  the  voice 
of  that  vagabond  Arrowhead,  among  them,  and  he  is  urging 
them  to  set  about  their  diviltry  this  very  night.  We  must 
be  stirring,  Salt-water,  and  doing  too.  Luckily,  there  are 
four  or  five  barrels  of  water  in  the  block,  and  these  are 
something  towards  a  siege.  My  reckoning  is  wrong,  too, 
or  we  shall  yet  reap  some  advantage  from  that  honest  fellow, 
the  Sarpent,  being  at  liberty." 

Cap  did  not  wait  for  a  second  invitation,  but  stealing 
away,  he  was  soon  in  the  upper  room  with  Pathfinder, 
while  Mabel  took  his  post  at  the  side  of  her  father's  humble 
bed.  Pathfinder  had  opened  a  loop,  having  so  far  concealed 
the  light  that  it  would  not  expose  him  to  a  treacherous  shot, 
and,  expecting  a  summons,  he  stood  with  his  face  near  the 
hole,  ready  to  answer.  The  stillness  that  succeeded  was  at 
length  broken  by  the  voice  of  Muir. 

"Master  Pathfinder,"  called  out  the  Scotchman,  "  a  friend 
summons  you  to  a  parley.  Come  freely  to  one  of  the  loops, 
for  you  've  nothing  to  fear  so  long  as  you  are  in  converse 
with  an  officer  of  the  55th." 


4*0 


Ube 


"What  is  your  will,  quartermaster — what  is  your  will? 
I  know  the  55th,  and  believe  it  to  be  a  brave  regiment, 
though  I  rather  incline  to  the  6oth,  as  my  favorite,  and  to 
the  Delawares  more  than  to  either.  But  what  would  you 
have,  quartermaster?  It  must  be  a  pressing  errand  that 
brings  you  under  the  loops  of  a  block-house,  at  this  hour 
of  the  night,  with  the  sartainty  of  Killdeer's  being  inside 
of  it." 

"O!  you'll  no  harm  a  friend,  Pathfinder,  I'm  certain, 
and  that 's  my  security.  You  're  a  man  of  judgment,  and 
have  gained  too  great  a  name  on  this  frontier  for  bravery, 
to  feel  the  necessity  of  foolhardiness  to  obtain  a  character. 
You  '11  very  well  understand,  my  good  friend,  there  is  as 
much  credit  to  be  gained  by  submitting  gracefully,  when  re- 
sistance becomes  impossible,  as  by  obstinately  holding  out 
contrary  to  the  rules  of  war.  The  enemy  is  too  strong  for 
us,  my  brave  comrade,  and  I  come  to  counsel  you  to  give 
up  the  block,  on  condition  of  being  treated  as  a  prisoner  of 
war." 

"  I  thank  you  for  this  advice,  quartermaster,  which  is  the 
more  acceptable,  as  it  costs  nothing.  But  I  do  not  think  it 
belongs  to  my  gifts  to  yield  a  place  like  this,  while  food  and 
water  last." 

"Well,  I 'd  be  the  last,  Pathfinder,  to  recommend  any- 
thing against  so  brave  a  resolution,  did  I  see  the  means  of 
maintaining  it.  But  ye  '11  remember  that  Master  Cap  has 
fallen— " 

"Not  he — not  he!"  roared  the  individual  in  question 
through  another  loop ;  "so  far  from  that,  lieutenant,  he  has 
risen  to  the  height  of  this  here  fortification,  and  has  no  mind 
to  put  his  head  of  hair  into  the  hands  of  such  barbers  again, 
so  long  as  he  can  help  it  I  look  upon  this  block-house  as 
a  circumstance,  and  have  no  mind  to  throw  it  away." 

"  If  that  is  a  living  voice,"  returned  Muir,  "  I  am  glad  to 
hear  it,  for  we  all  thought  the  man  had  fallen  in  the  late 
fearful  confusion  !  But,  Master  Pathfinder,  although  ye  're 
enjoying  the  society  of  your  friend  Cap,  and  a  great  pleasure 
dp  I  know  it  to  be,  by  the  experience  of  two  days  and  a 
night  passed  in  a  hole  in  the  earth,  we  've  lost  that  of  Ser- 


Cbe  parbfin£er  421 

geant  Dunham,  who  has  fallen,  with  all  the  brave  men  he 
led  in  the  late  expedition.  Lundie  would  have  it  so,  though 
it  would  have  been  more  discreet  and  becoming  to  send  a 
commissioned  officer  in  command.  Dunham  was  a  brave 
man,  notwithstanding,  and  shall  have  justice  done  his  mem- 
ory. In  short,  we  have  all  acted  for  the  best,  and  that  is  as 
much  as  could  be  said  in  favor  of  Prince  Eugene,  the  Duke 
of  Madborough,  or  the  great  Karl  of  Stair  himself!" 

"You're  wrong  ag'in,  quartermaster — you're  wrong 
ag'in,"  answered  Pathfinder,  resorting  to  a  ruse  to  magnify 
his  force.  "The  sergeant  is  safe  in  the  block  too,  where 
one  might  say  the  whole  family  is  collected," 

t:  Weil,  I  rejoice  to  hear  it,  for  we  had  certainly  counted 
the  sergeant  among  the  slain.  If  pretty  Mabel  is  in  the 
block  still,  let  her  not  delay  an  instant,  for  Heaven's  sake, 
in  quitting  it,  for  the  enemy  is  about  to  put  it  to  the  trial 
by  fire.  Ye  know  the  potency  of  that  dread  element,  and 
will  be  acting  more  like  the  discreet  and  experienced  war- 
rior ye  "re  universally  allowed  to  be,  in  yielding  a  place  you 
canna'  defend,  than  in  drawing  down  ruin  on  yourself  and 
companions." 

"  I  know  the  potency  of  fire,  as  you  call  it,  quartermaster, 
and  am  not  to  be  told,  at  this  kite  hour,  that  it  can  be  used 
for  something  else  besides  cooking  a  dinner.  But  I  make 
no  doubt  you  've  heard  of  the  potency  of  Killdeer,  and  the 
man  who  attempts  to  lay  a  pile  of  brush  agin  these  logs  will 
get  a  taste  of  his  powder.  As  for  arrows,  it  is  not  in  their 
gift  to  set  this  building  on  fire,  for  we  've  no  shingles  on  our 
roof,  but  good  solid  logs  and  green  bark,  and  plenty  of  water 
besides.  The  roof  is  so  flat,  too,  as  you  know  yourself 
quartermaster,  that  we  can  walk  on  it,  and  so  no  danger  on 
that  score  while  water  lasts.  I  'm  peaceable  enough  if  let 
alone,  but  he  who  endivers  to  burn  this  block  over  my  head 
will  find  the  fire  squinched  in  his  own  blood." 

"  This  is  idle  and  romantic  talk.  Pathfinder,  and  ye  '11  no 
maintain  it  yourself  when  ye  come  to  meditate  on  the  reali- 
ties. I  hope  ye  '11  no  gainsay  the  loyalty  or  the  courage  of 
the  55th,  and  I  feel  convinced  that  a  council  of  war  would 
decide  on  the  propriety  of  a  surrender  forthwith.  Na,  na, 


422  Ube  jfratbfinber 

Pathfinder,  foolhardiness  is  na  mair  like  the  bravery  of 
Wallace  or  Bruce,  than  Albany  on  the  Hudson  is  like  the 
town  of  Edinbro' . ' ' 

"As  each  of  us  seems  to  have  made  up  his  mind,  quarter- 
master, more  words  are  useless.  If  the  riptyles  near  you 
are  disposed  to  set  about  their  hellish  job,  let  them  begin  at 
once.  They  can  burn  wood,  and  I  '11  burn  powder.  If  I 
were  an  Injin  at  the  stake,  I  suppose  I  could  brag  as  well 
as  the  rest  of  them,  but  my  gifts  and  natur'  being  both  white, 
my  turn  is  rather  for  doing  than  talking.  You  've  said  quite 
enough,  considering  you  carry  the  king's  commission  ;  and 
should  we  all  be  consumed,  none  of  us  will  bear  you  any 
malice." 

"  Pathfinder,  you  '11  no  be  exposing  Mabel,  pretty  Mabel 
Dunham,  to  sic'  a  calamity  ! ' ' 

"  Mabel  Dunham  is  by  the  side  of  her  wounded  father, 
and  God  will  care  for  the  safety  of  a  pious  child.  Not  a 
hair  of  her  head  shall  fall,  while  my  arm  and  sight  remain 
true  ;  and  though  you  may  trust  the  Mingos,  Master  Muir, 
I  put  no  faith  in  them.  You  've  a  knavish  Tuscarora  in 
your  company  there,  who  has  art  and  malice  enough  to  spoil 
the  character  of  any  tribe  with  which  he  consorts,  though 
he  found  the  Mingos  ready  ruined  to  his  hands,  I  fear. 
But,  enough  said  ;  let  each  party  go  to  the  use  of  his  means 
and  gifts." 

Throughout  this  dialogue  Pathfinder  kept  his  body  cov- 
ered, lest  a  treacherous  shot  should  be  aimed  at  the  loop ; 
and  he  now  directed  Cap  to  ascend  to  the  roof  in  order  to 
be  in  readiness  to  meet  the  first  assault.  Although  the  lat- 
ter used  sufficient  diligence,  he  found  no  less  than  ten  blaz- 
ing arrows  sticking  to  the  bark,  while  the  air  was  filled  with 
the  yells  and  whoops  of  the  enemy.  A  rapid  discharge  of 
rifles  followed,  and  the  bullets  came  pattering  against  the 
logs,  in  a  way  to  show  that  the  struggle  had  indeed  seriously 
commenced. 

These  were  sounds,  however,  that  appalled  neither  Path- 
finder nor  Cap,  while  Mabel  was  too  much  absorbed  in  her 
affliction  to  feel  alarm.  She  had  good  sense  enough,  too, 
to  understand  the  nature  of  the  defences,  and  fully  to  ap- 


ZTbe  jpatbffnfcer  423 


predate  their  importance.  As  for  her  father,  the  familiar 
noises  revived  him,  and  it  pained  his  child,  at  such  a  moment, 
to  see  that  his  glassy  eye  began  to  kindle,  and  that  the 
blood  returned  to  a  cheek  it  had  deserted,  as  he  listened  to 
che  uproar.  It  was  now  Mabel  first  perceived  that  his  rea- 
son began  slightly  to  wander. 

"Order  up  the  light  companies,"  he  muttered,  "and  let 
the  grenadiers  charge  !  Do  they  dare  to  attack  us  in  our 
fort  ?  Why  does  not  the  artillery  open  on  them  ?  ' ' 

At  that  instant,  the  heavy  report  of  a  gun  burst  on  the 
night ;  and  the  crashing  of  rending  wood  was  heard,  as  a 
heavy  shot  tore  the  logs  in  the  room  above,  and  the  whole 
block  shook  with  the  force  of  a  shell  that  lodged  in  the  work. 
The  Pathfinder  narrowly  escaped  the  passage  of  this  for- 
midable missile,  as  it  entered  ;  but  when  it  exploded,  Mabel 
could  not  suppress  a  shriek ;  for  she  supposed  all  over  her 
head,  whether  animate  or  inanimate,  destroyed.  To  in- 
crease her  horror,  her  father  shouted,  in  a  frantic  voice,  to 
"Charge!  " 

"  Mabel,"  said  Pathfinder,  with  his  head  at  the  trap,  "this 
is  true  Mingo  work — more  noise  than  injury.  The  vaga- 
bonds have  got  the  howitzer  we  took  from  the  French,  and 
have  discharged  it  agin  the  block ;  but,  fortunately,  they 
have  fired  off  the  only  shell  we  had,  and  there  is  an  ind  of 
its  use,  for  the  present.  There  is  some  confusion  among  the 
stores  up  in  this  loft,  but  no  one  is  hurt.  Your  uncle  is 
still  on  the  roof;  and  as  for  myself,  I  've  run  the  gauntlet 
of  too  many  rifles  to  be  skeary  about  such  a  thing  as  a  how- 
itzer, and  that  in  Injin  hands." 

Mabel  murmured  her  thanks,  and  tried  to  give  all  her 
attention  to  her  father,  whose  efforts  to  rise  were  only  coun- 
teracted by  his  debility.  During  the  fearful  minutes  that 
succeeded,  she  was  so  much  occupied  with  the  care  of  the 
invalid,  that  she  scarce  heeded  the  clamor  that  reigned 
around  her.  Indeed,  the  uproar  was  so  great  that,  had  not 
her  thoughts  been  otherwise  employed,  confusion  of  faculties, 
rather  than  alarm,  would  probably  have  been  the  conse- 
quence. 

Cap  preserved  his  coolness  admirably.     He  had  a  profound 


424 


and  increasing  respect  for  the  power  of  the  savages,  and 
even  for  the  majesty  of  fresh  water,  it  is  true  ;  but  his  ap- 
prehensions of  the  former  proceeded  more  from  his  dread  of 
being  scalped  and  tortured,  than  from  any  unmanly  fear  of 
death  :  and  as  he  was  now  on  the  deck  of  a  house,  if  not  on 
the  deck  of  a  ship,  and  knew  that  there  was  little  danger  of 
boarders,  he  moved  about  with  a  fearlessness  and  a  rash  ex- 
posure of  his  person  that  Pathfinder,  had  he  been  aware  of 
the  fact,  would  have  been  the  first  to  condemn.  Instead  of 
keeping  his  body  covered,  agreeably  to  the  usages  of  Indian 
warfare,  he  was  seen  on  every  part  of  the  roof,  dashing  the 
water  right  and  left,  with  the  apparent  steadiness  and 
unconcern  he  would  have  manifested  had  he  been  a  sail- 
trimmer  exercising  his  art  in  a  battle  afloat.  His  appearance 
was  one  of  the  causes  of  the  extraordinary  clamor  among 
the  assailants,  who,  unused  to  see  their  enemies  so  reckless, 
opened  upon  him  with  their  tongues  like  the  pack  that  has 
the  fox  in  view.  Still  he  appeared  to  possess  a  charmed 
life ;  for,  though  the  bullets  whistled  around  him  on  every 
side,  and  his  clothes  were  several  times  torn,  nothing  cut 
his  skin.  When  the  shell  passed  through  the  logs  below, 
the  old  sailor  dropped  his  bucket,  waved  his  hat,  and  gave 
three  cheers ;  in  which  heroic  act  he  was  employed  as  the 
dangerous  missile  exploded.  This  characteristic  feat  prob- 
ably saved  his  life  ;  for  from  that  instant  the  Indians  ceased 
to  fire  at  him,  and  even  to  shoot  their  flaming  arrows  at  the 
block — having  taken  up  the  notion  simultaneously,  and  by 
Common  consent,  that  the  "Salt-water  was  mad;"  and  it 
was  a  singular  effect  of  their  magnanimity,  never  to  lift  a 
hand  against  those  whom  they  imagined  devoid  of  reason. 

The  conduct  of  Pathfinder  was  very  different.  Every- 
thing he  did  was  regulated  by  the  most  exact  calculation, 
the  result  of  long  experience  and  habitual  thoughtfulness. 
His  person  was  kept  carefully  out  of  a  line  with  the  loops, 
and  the  spot  that  he  selected  for  his  lookout  was  one  that 
was  quite  removed  from  danger.  This  celebrated  guide  had 
often  been  known  to  lead  forlorn  hopes  ;  he  had  once  stood 
at  the  stake,  suffering  under  the  cruelties  and  taunts  of 
savage  ingenuity  and  savage  ferocity,  without  quailing; 


patbfinfcer  425 


and  legends  of  his  exploits,  coolness,  and  daring,  were  to 
be  heard  all  along  that  extensive  frontier,  or  wherever  men 
dwelt  and  men  contended.  But  on  this  occasion,  one  who 
did  not  know  his  history  and  character,  might  have  thought 
his  exceeding  care  and  studied  attention  to  self-preservation 
proceeded  from  an  unworthy  motive.  But  such  a  judge 
would  not  have  understood  his  subject.  The  Pathfinder  be- 
thought him  of  Mabel,  and  of  what  might  possibly  be  the 
consequences  to  that  poor  girl,  should  any  casualty  befall 
himself.  But  the  recollection  rather  quickened  his  intellect 
than  changed  his  customary  prudence.  He  was,  in  fact,  one 
of  those  who  was  so  accustomed  to  fear,  that  he  never  be- 
thought him  of  the  constructions  others  might  put  upon  his 
conduct.  But  while,  in  moments  of  danger,  he  acted  with 
the  wisdom  of  the  serpent,  it  was  also  with  the  simplicity  of 
a  child. 

For  the  first  ten  minutes  of  the  assault,  Pathfinder  never 
raised  the  breech  of  his  rifle  from  the  floor,  except  when  he 
changed  his  own  position — for  he  well  knew  that  the  bullets 
of  the  enemy  were  thrown  away  upon  the  massive  logs  of 
the  work ;  and,  as  he  had  been  at  the  capture  of  the  howit- 
zer, he  felt  certain  that  the  savages  had  no  other  shell  than 
the  one  found  in  it  when  the  piece  was  taken.  There  ex- 
isted no  reason,  therefore,  to  dread  the  fire  of  the  assailants, 
except  as  a  casual  bullet  might  find  a  passage  through  a 
loophole.  One  or  two  of  these  accidents  did  occur,  but  the 
balls  entered  at  an  angle  that  deprived  them  of  all  chance  of 
doing  anj-  injury,  so  long  as  the  Indians  kept  near  the  block  ; 
and  if  discharged  from  a  distance,  there  was  scarcely  the 
possibility  of  one  in  a  hundred's  striking  the  apertures. 
But  when  Pathfinder  heard  the  sound  of  moccasined  feet, 
and  the  rustling  of  brush  at  the  foot  of  the  building,  he 
knew  that  the  attempt  to  build  a  fire  against  the  logs  was 
about  to  be  renewed.  He  now  summoned  Cap  from  the 
roof,  where  indeed  all  the  danger  had  ceased,  and  directed 
him  to  stand  in  readiness  with  his  water  at  a  hole  immedi- 
ately over  the  spot  assailed. 

One  less  trained  than  our  hero  would  have  been  in  a  hurry 
to  repel  this  dangerous  attempt  also,  and  might  have  resorted 


426  Ube  patbffttoer 


to  his  means  prematurely ;  not  so  with  Pathfinder.  His  aim 
was  not  only  to  extinguish  the  fire,  about  which  he  felt  little 
apprehension,  but  to  give  the  enemy  a  lesson  that  would 
render  him  wary  during  the  remainder  of  the  night.  In 
order  to  effect  the  latter  purpose,  it  became  necessary  to 
wait  until  the  light  of  the  intended  conflagration  should  di- 
rect his  aim,  when  he  well  knew  that  a  very  slight  effort  of 
his  skill  would  suffice.  The  Iroquois  were  permitted  to 
collect  their  heap  of  dried  brush,  to  pile  it  against  the  block, 
to  light  it,  and  to  return  to  their  covers,  without  molestation. 
All  that  Pathfinder  would  suffer  Cap  to  do  was,  to  roll  a 
barrel  filled  with  water  to  the  hole  immediately  over  the 
spot,  in  readiness  to  be  used  at  the  proper  instant.  That 
moment,  however,  did  not  arrive,  in  his  judgment,  until  the 
blaze  illuminated  the  surrounding  bushes,  and  there  had 
been  time  for  his  quick  and  practised  eye  to  detect  the  forms 
of  three  or  four  lurking  savages,  who  were  watching  the 
progress  of  the  flames,  with  the  cool  indifference  of  men  ac- 
customed to  look  on  human  misery  with  apathy.  Then  in- 
deed he  spoke. 

' '  Are  you  ready,  friend  Cap  ?  "  he  asked.  ' '  The  heat 
begins  to  strike  through  the  crevices,  and,  although  these 
green  logs  are  not  of  the  fiery  natur'  of  an  ill-tempered  man, 
they  may  be  kindled  into  a  blaze  if  one  provokes  them  too 
much.  Are  you  ready  with  the  barrel  ?  See  that  it  has  the 
right  cut,  and  that  none  of  the  water  is  wasted." 

"  All  ready  !  "  answered  Cap,  in  the  manner  in  which  a 
seaman  replies  to  such  a  demand. 

"  Then  wait  for  the  word.  Never  be  over-impatient  in  a 
critical  time,  nor  fool-risky  in  a  battle.  Wait  for  the  word. " 

While  the  Pathfinder  was  giving  these  directions,  he  was 
also  making  his  own  preparations,  for  he  saw  it  was  time 
to  act.  Killdeer  was  deliberately  raised,  pointed,  and  dis- 
charged. The  whole  process  occupied  about  half  a  minute, 
and,  as  the  rifle  was  drawn  in,  the  eye  of  the  marksman  was 
applied  to  the  hole. 

"  There  is  one  riptyle  the  less  !  "  Pathfinder  muttered  to 
himself;  "  I  've  seen  that  vagabond  afore,  and  know  him  to 
be  a  marciless  devil.  Well,  well ;  the  man  acted  according 


TXbe  patbffn&er  427 


to  his  gifts,  and  he  has  been  rewarded  according  to  his  gifts. 
One  more  of  the  knaves,  and  that  will  sarve  the  turn  for  to- 
night. When  daylight  appears,  we  may  have  hotter  work." 

All  this  time,  another  rifle  was  getting  ready ;  and  as 
Pathfinder  ceased,  a  second  savage  fell.  This,  indeed,  suf- 
ficed ;  for,  indisposed  to  wait  for  a  third  visitation  from  the 
same  hand,  the  whole  band,  which  had  been  crouching  in 
the  bushes  around  the  block,  ignorant  of  who  was  and  who 
was  not  exposed  to  view,  leaped  from  their  covers,  and  fled 
to  different  places  for  safety. 

"  Now,  pour  away,  Master  Cap,"  said  Pathfinder ;  "  I  've 
made  my  mark  on  the  blackguards,  and  we  shall  have  no 
more  fires  lighted  to-night. ' ' 

' '  Scaldings  ! ' '  cried  Cap,  upsetting  the  barrel  with  a  care 
that  at  once  and  completely  extinguished  the  flames. 

This  ended  the  singular  conflict ;  and  the  remainder  of 
the  night  passed  in  peace.  Pathfinder  and  Cap  watched 
alternately,  though  neither  can  be  said  to  have  slept.  Sleep, 
indeed,  scarcely  seemed  necessary  to  them,  for  both  were 
accustomed  to  protracted  watchings  ;  and  there  were  seasons 
and  times  when  the  former  appeared  to  be  literally  insensi- 
ble to  the  demands  of  hunger  and  thirst,  and  callous  to  the 
effects  of  fatigue. 

Mabel  watched  by  her  father's  pallet,  and  began  to  feel 
how  much  our  happiness,  in  this  world,  depends  even  on 
things  that  are  imaginary.  Hitherto,  she  had  virtually 
lived  without  a  father,  the  connection  with  her  remaining 
parent  being  ideal,  rather  than  positive ;  but,  now  that  she 
was  about  to  lose  him,  she  thought,  for  the  moment,  that 
the  world  would  be  a  void  after  his  death,  and  that  she 
could  never  be  acquainted  with  happiness  again. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

"There  was  a  roaring  in  the  wind  all  night; 
The  rain  came  heavily,  and  fell  in  floods  ; 
But  now  the  sun  is  rising  calm  and  bright ; 
The  birds  are  singing  in  the  distant  woods." 

WORDSWORTH. 

AS  the  light  returned,  Pathfinder  and  Cap  ascended 
again  to  the  roof,  with  a  view  once  more  to  recon- 
noitre the  state  of  things  on  the  island.     This 
part  of  the  block-house  had  a  low  battlement 
around  it,  which  afforded  a  considerable  protection  to  those 
who  stood  in  its  centre  ;  the  intention  having  been  to  enable 
marksmen  to  lie  behind  it,  and  to  fire  over  its  top.     By 
making  proper  use,  therefore,  of  these  slight  defences — slight 
as  to  height,  though  abundantly  ample  as  far  as  they  went — 
the  two  lookouts  commanded  a  pretty  good  view  of  the 
island,  its  covers  excepted  ;  and  of  most  of  the  channels  that 
led  to  the  spot. 

The  gale  was  still  blowing  very  fresh  at  south  ;  and  there 
were  places  in  the  river  where  its  surface  looked  green  and 
angry,  though  the  wind  had  hardly  sweep  enough  to  raise  the 
water  into  foam.  The  shape  of  the  little  island  was  generally 
oval,  and  its  greatest  length  was  from  east  to  west.  By 
keeping  in  the  channels  that  washed  it,  in  consequence  of 
their  several  courses,  and  of  the  direction  of  the  gale,  it 
would  have  been  possible  for  a  vessel  to  range  past  the  island 
on  either  of  its  principal  sides,  and  always  to  keep  the  wind 
very  nearly  abeam.  These  were  the  facts  first  noticed  by 
Cap,  and  explained  to  his  companion  ;  for  the  hopes  of  both 
now  rested  on  the  chances  of  relief  sent  from  Oswego.  At 
this  instant,  while  they  stood  gazing  anxiously  about  them, 
Cap  cried  out  in  his  lusty,  hearty  manner, — 
428 


patbffnfcer  429 


"Sail,  ho!" 

Pathfinder  turned  quickly  in  the  direction  of  his  com- 
panion's face,  and  there,  sure  enough,  was  just  visible  the 
object  of  the  old  sailor's  exclamation.  The  elevation  en- 
abled the  two  to  overlook  the  low  land  of  several  of  the 
adjacent  islands  ;  and  the  canvas  of  a  vessel  was  seen 
through  the  bushes  that  fringed  the  shore  of  one  that  lay 
to  the  southward  and  westward.  The  stranger  was  under 
what  seamen  call  low  sail :  but  so  great  was  the  power  of 
the  wind,  that  her  white  outlines  were  seen  flying  past  the 
openings  of  the  verdure  with  the  velocity  of  a  fast-travelling 
horse  ;  resembling  a  cloud  driving  in  the  heavens. 

''That  cannot  be  Jasper  !  "  said  Pathfinder,  in  disappoint- 
ment :  for  he  did  not  recognize  the  cutter  of  his  friend,  in 
the  swift  passing  object.  "No,  no;  the  lad  is  behind  the 
hour ;  that  is  some  craft  that  the  Frenchers  have  sent  to 
aid  their  friends,  the  accursed  Mingos. ' ' 

' '  This  time  you  are  out  in  your  reckoning,  friend  Path- 
finder, if  you  never  were  before,"  returned  Cap,  in  a  man- 
ner that  had  lost  none  of  its  dogmatism  by  the  critical 
circumstances  in  which  they  were  placed.  Fresh  water  or 
salt,  that  is  the  head  of  the  Scud's  mainsail,  for  it  is  cut 
with  a  smaller  gore  than  common  ;  and  then  you  see  that 
the  gaff  has  been  fished — quite  neatly  done,  I  admit,  but 
fished." 

"  I  can  see  none  of  this,  I  confess,"  answered  Pathfinder, 
to  whom  even  the  terms  of  his  companion  were  Greek. 

"No! — Well,  I  own  that  surprises  me;  for  I  thought 
your  eyes  could  see  anything  !  Now,  to  me,  nothing  is 
plainer  than  that  gore  and  that  fish ;  and  I  must  say,  my 
honest  friend,  that,  in  your  place,  I  should  apprehend  that 
my  sight  was  beginning  to  fail. ' ' 

"  If  Jasper  is  truly  coming,  I  shall  apprehend  but  little. 
We  can  make  good  the  block  against  the  whole  Mingo 
nation,  for  the  next  eight  or  ten  hours  ;  and,  with  Kau-douce 
to  cover  the  retreat,  I  shall  despair  of  nothing.  God  send 
that  the  lad  may  not  run  alongside  of  the  bank,  and  fall 
into  an  ambushment,  as  befell  the  sergeant  !  " 

"Ay;  there's  the  danger.     There  ought  to  have  been 


43o  TIbe  patbffnfcer 


signals  concerted,  and  an  anchorage-ground  buoyed  out,  and 
even  a  quarantine  station,  or  a  lazaretto,  would  have  been 
useful,  could  we  have  made  these  Minks-ho  respect  the 
laws.  If  the  lad  fetches  up,  as  you  say,  anywhere  in  the 
neighborhood  of  this  island,  we  may  look  upon  the  cutter 
as  lost.  And,  after  all,  Master  Pathfinder,  ought  we  not 
to  set  down  this  same  Jasper  as  a  secret  ally  of  the  French, 
rather  than  as  a  friend  of  our  own  ?  I  know  the  sergeant 
views  the  matter  m  that  light,  and  I  must  say  this  whole 
affair  looks  like  treason  !  " 

"  We  shall  soon  know — we  shall  soon  know,  Master  Cap, 
for  there  indeed  conies  the  cutter,  clear  of  the  other  island, 
and  five  minutes  must  settle  the  matter.  It  would  be  no 
more  than  fair,  however,  if  we  could  give  the  boy  some  sign 
in  the  way  of  warning.  It  is  not  right  that  he  should  fall 
into  the  trap,  without  a  notice  that  it  has  been  laid." 

Anxiety  and  suspense,  notwithstanding,  prevented  either 
from  attempting  to  make  any  signal.  It  was  not  easy,  truly, 
to  see  how  it  could  be  done  ;  for  the  Scud  came  foaming 
through  the  channel,  on  the  weather  side  of  the  island,  at  a 
rate  that  scarce  admitted  of  the  necessary  time.  Nor  was 
any  one  visible  on  her  deck  to  make  signs  to  ;  even  her  helm 
seemed  deserted,  though  her  course  was  as  steady  as  her 
progress  was  rapid. 

Cap  stood  in  silent  admiration  of  a  spectacle  so  unusual. 
But,  as  the  Scud  drew  nearer,  his  practised  eye  detected  the 
helm  in  play,  by  means  of  tiller-ropes,  though  the  person 
who  steered  was  concealed.  As  the  cutter  had  weather- 
boards of  some  little  height,  the  mystery  was  explained  ;  no 
doubt  remaining  that  her  people  lay  behind  the  latter,  in 
order  to  be  protected  from  the  rifles  of  the  enemy.  As  this 
fact  showed  that  no  force,  beyond  that  of  the  small  crew, 
could  be  on  board,  Pathfinder  received  his  companion's  ex- 
planation with  an  ominous  shake  of  the  head. 

"This  proves  that  the  Sarpent  has  not  reached  Oswego," 
he  said,  "and  that  we  are  not  to  expect  succor  from  the 
garrison.  I  hope  I^undie  has  not  taken  it  into  his  head  to 
displace  the  lad,  for  Jasper  Western  would  be  a  host  of 
himself,  in  such  a  strait.  We  three,  Master  Cap,  ought  to 


TTbe  patbfinfcer  431 

make  a  manful  warfare  :  you,  as  a  seaman,  to  keep  up  the 
intercourse  with  the  cutter ;  Jasper,  as  a  laker,  who  knows 
all  that  is  necessary  to  be  done  on  the  water  ;  and  I,  with 
gifts  that  are  as  good  as  any  among  the  Mingos,  let  me  be 
what  I  may  in  other  particulars.  I  say,  we  ought  to  make 
a  manful  fight  in  Mabel's  behalf." 

"That  we  ought,  and  that  we  will,"  answered  Cap, 
heartily,  for  he  began  to  have  more  confidence  in  the  secur- 
ity of  his  scalp,  now  that  he  saw  the  sun  again ;  "I  set 
down  the  arrival  of  the  Scud  as  one  circumstance,  and  the 
chances  of  Eau-douce's  honesty  as  another.  This  Jasper  is 
a  young  man  of  prudence,  you  find,  for  he  keeps  a  good 
offing,  and  seems  determined  to  know  how  matters  stand  on 
the  island,  before  he  ventures  to  bring  up." 

' '  I  have  it — I  have  it  !  "  exclaimed  Pathfinder  with  ex- 
ultation ;  ' '  there  lies  the  canoe  of  the  Sarpent  on  the  cut- 
ter's deck,  and  the  chief  has  got  on  board,  and  no  doubt  has 
given  a  true  account  of  our  condition ;  unlike  a  Mingo,  a 
Delaware  is  sartain  to  get  a  story  right,  or  to  hold  his 
tongue. ' ' 

Pathfinder's  disposition  to  think  well  of  the  Delawares, 
and  to  think  ill  of  the  Mingos,  must,  by  this  time,  be  very 
apparent  to  the  reader.  Of  the  veracity  of  the  former  he 
entertained  the  highest  respect,  while  of  the  latter  he 
thought,  as  the  more  observant  and  intelligent  classes  of 
this  country  are  getting  pretty  generally  to  think  of  certain 
scribblers  among  ourselves,  who  are  known  to  have  been  so 
long  in  the  habits  of  mendacity,  that  it  is  thought  they  can 
no  longer  tell  the  truth,  even  when  they  seriously  make  the 
effort. 

"That  canoe  may  belong  to  the  cutter,"  said  the  captious 
seaman  ;  "  Oh-the-Deuce  had  one  on  board  when  we  sailed." 

"  Very  true,  friend  Cap  ;  but,  if  you  know  your  sails  and 
masts  by  your  gores  and  fishes,  I  know  my  canoes  and  my 
paths  by  frontier  knowledge.  If  you  can  see  new  cloth  in 
a  sail,  I  can  see  new  bark  in  a  canoe.  That  is  the  boat  of 
the  Sarpent,  and  the  noble  fellow  has  struck  off  for  the  gar- 
rison, as  soon  as  he  found  the  block  besieged,  has  fallen  in 
with  the  Scud,  and  after  telling  his  story,  has  brought  the 


432  TTbe  patbfinber 


cutter  down  here  to  see  what  can  be  done.  The  Lord  grant 
that  Jasper  Western  be  still  on  board  her  !  " 

"Yes,  yes;  it  might  not  be  amiss;  for,  traitor  or  loyal, 
the  lad  has  a  handy  way  with  him  in  a  gale,  it  must  be 
owned." 

"And  in  coming  over  water-falls!"  said  Pathfinder, 
nudging  the  ribs  of  his  companion  with  an  elbow,  and 
laughing  in  his  silent  but  hearty  manner.  "  We  will  give 
the  boy  his  due,  though  he  scalps  us  all  with  his  own 
hand!" 

The  Scud  was  now  so  near  that  Cap  made  no  reply.  The 
scene,  just  at  that  instant,  was  so  peculiar  that  it  merits  a 
particular  description  :  which  may  also  aid  the  reader  in 
forming  a  more  accurate  idea  of  the  picture  we  wish  to 
draw. 

The  gale  was  still  blowing  violently  :  many  of  the  smallef 
trees  bowed  their  tops,  as  if  ready  to  descend  to  the  earth, 
while  the  rushing  of  the  wind  through  the  branches  of  the 
groves  resembled  the  roar  of  distant  chariots. 

The  air  was  filled  with  leaves  which,  at  that  late  season, 
were  readily  driven  from  their  stems,  and  flew  from  island  to 
island  like  flights  of  birds.  With  this  exception,  the  spot 
seemed  silent  as  the  grave.  That  the  savages  still  remained, 
was  to  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  their  canoes,  together 
with  the  boats  of  the  55th,  lay  in  a  group  in  the  little  cove 
that  had  been  selected  as  a  harbor.  Otherwise  not  a  sign 
of  their  presence  was  to  be  detected.  Though  taken  en- 
tirely by  surprise  by  the  cutter,  the  sudden  return  of  which 
was  altogether  unlocked  for,  so  uniform  and  inbred  were 
their  habits  of  caution  while  on  the  war-path,  that  the  in- 
stant an  alarm  was  given  every  man  had  taken  to  his  cover, 
with  the  instinct  and  cunning  of  a  fox  seeking  his  hole. 
The  same  stillness  reigned  in  the  block-house,  for  though 
Pathfinder  and  Cap  could  command  a  view  of  the  channel, 
they  took  the  precaution  necessary  to  lie  concealed.  The 
unusual  absence  of  anything  like  animal  life  on  board  the 
Scud,  too,  was  still  more  remarkable.  As  the  Indians  wit- 
nessed her  apparently  undirected  movements,  a  feeling  of 
awe  gained  a  footing  among  them,  and  some  of  the  boldest 


ZTbe  ffjatbffnfcer  433 


of  their  party  began  to  distrust  the  issue  of  an  expedition 
that  had  commenced  so  prosperously.  Even  Arrowhead, 
accustomed  as  he  was  to  intercourse  with  the  whites  on  both 
sides  of  the  lakes,  fancied  there  was  something  ominous  in 
the  appearance  of  this  unmanned  vessel,  and  he  would  gladly 
at  that  moment  have  been  landed  again  on  the  main. 

In  the  meantime  the  progress  of  the  cutter  was  steady 
and  rapid.  She  held  her  way  mid-channel,  now  inclining 
to  the  gusts,  and  now  rising  again,  like  the  philosopher  that 
bends  to  the  calamities  of  life  to  resume  his  erect  attitude  as 
they  pass  away,  but  always  piling  the  water  beneath  her 
bows  in  foam.  Although  she  was  under  so  very  short  can- 
vas, her  velocity  was  great,  and  there  could  not  have  elapsed 
ten  minutes  between  the  time  when  her  sails  were  first  seen 
glancing  past  the  trees  and  bushes  in  the  distance,  and  the 
moment  when  she  was  abreast  of  the  block-house.  Cap  and 
Pathfinder  leaned  forward  as  the  cutter  came  beneath  their 
eyrie,  eager  to  get  a  better  view  of  her  deck,  when,  to  the 
delight  of  both,  Jasper  Bau-douce  sprang  upon  his  feet  and 
gave  three  hearty  cheers.  Regardless  of  all  risk,  Cap 
leaped  upon  the  rampart  of  logs,  and  returned  the  greeting, 
cheer  for  cheer.  Happily,  the  policy  of  the  enemy  saved 
the  latter,  for  they  still  lay  quiet,  not  a  rifle  being  dis- 
charged. On  the  other  hand,  Pathfinder  kept  in  view  the 
useful,  utterly  disregarding  the  mere  dramatic  part  of  war- 
fare. The  moment  he  beheld  his  friend  Jasper,  he  called  out 
to  him  with  stentorian  lungs, — 

"Stand  by  us,  lad,  and  the  day  's  our  own  !  Give  'em  a 
grist  in  yonder  bushes,  and  you  '11  put  'em  up  like  par- 
tridges." 

Part  of  this  reached  Jasper's  ears,  but  most  was  borne  off 
to  leeward  on  the  wings  of  the  wind.  By  the  time  this  was 
said  the  Scud  had  driven  past,  and  in  the  next  moment  she 
was  hid  from  view  by  the  grove  in  which  the  block-house 
was  partially  concealed. 

Two  anxious  minutes  succeeded,  but  at  the  expiration  of 
that  brief  space,  the  sails  were  again  gleaming  through  the 
trees,  Jasper  having  wore,  jibed,  and  hauled  up  under  the 
lee  of  the  island,  on  the  other  tack.  The  wind  was  free 


434 


enough,  as  has  been  already  explained,  to  admit  of  this 
manoeuvre ;  and  the  cutter  catching  the  current  under  her  lee 
bow,  was  breasted  up  to  her  course  in  a  way  that  showed 
she  would  come  out  to  windward  of  the  island  again,  without 
any  difficulty.  This  whole  evolution  was  made  with  the 
greatest  facility,  not  a  sheet  being  touched,  the  sails  trim- 
ming themselves,  the  rudder  alone  controlling  the  admirable 
machine.  The  object  appeared  to  be  a  reconnoissance. 
When,  however,  the  Scud  had  made  the  circuit  of  the  entire 
island,  and  had  again  got  her  weatherly  position  in  the 
channel  by  which  she  had  first  approached,  her  helm  was 
put  down,  and  she  tacked.  The  noise  of  the  mainsail  flap- 
ping when  it  filled,  close  reefed  as  it  was,  sounded  like  the 
report  of  a  gun,  and  Cap  trembled  lest  the  seams  should 
open. 

"  His  majesty  gives  good  canvas,  it  must  be  owned,"  mut 
tered  the  old  seaman  ;  ' '  and  it  must  be  owned,  too,  that  boy 

handles  his  boat  as  if  he  were  thoroughly  bred !  D e, 

Master  Pathfinder,  if  I  believe,  after  all  that  has  been  re- 
ported in  the  matter,  that  this  Mister  Oh-the-Deuce  got  his 
trade  on  this  bit  of  fresh  water." 

"  He  did  ;  yes,  he  did.  He  never  saw  the  ocean,  and  has 
come  by  his  calling  altogether  up  here  on  Ontario.  I  have 
often  thought  he  has  a  nat'ral  gift,  in  the  way  of 
schooners  and  sloops,  and  have  respected  him  accordingly. 
As  for  treason,  and  lying,  and  black-hearted  vices,  friend  Cap, 
Jasper  Western  is  as  free  as  the  most  virtuousest  of  the  Dela- 
ware warriors  ;  and  if  you  crave  to  see  a  truly  honest  man, 
you  must  go  among  that  tribe  to  discover  him." 

"There  he  comes  round  !  "  exclaimed  the  delighted  Cap, 
the  Scud  at  this  moment  filling  on  her  original  tack,  ' '  and 
now  we  shall  see  what  the  boy  would  be  at ;  he  cannot  mean 
to  keep  running  up  and  down  these  passages  like  a  girl  foot- 
ing it  through  a  country  dance  !  " 

The  Scud  now  kept  so  much  away  that,  for  a  moment, 
the  two  observers  on  the  block-house  feared  Jasper  meant  to 
come-to  ;  and  the  savages  in  their  lairs  gleamed  out  upon  her 
with  the  sort  of  exultation  that  the  crouching  tiger  may  be 
supposed  to  feel,  as  he  sees  his  unconscious  victim  approach 


TTbe  patbffnfcer  435 


his  bed.  But  Jasper  had  no  such  intention.  Familiar  with 
the  shore,  and  acquainted  with  the  depth  of  water  on  every 
part  of  the  island,  he  well  knew  that  the  Scud  might  be 
run  against  the  bank  with  impunity,  and  he  ventured  fear- 
lessly so  near  that  as  he  passed  through  the  little  cove,  he 
swept  the  two  boats  of  the  soldiers  from  their  fastenings,  and 
forced  them  out  into  the  channel,  towing  them  with  the 
cutter.  As  all  the  canoes  were  fastened  to  the  two  Dunham 
boats,  by  this  bold  and  successful  attempt  the  savages  were 
at  once  deprived  of  the  means  of  quitting  the  island,  unless 
by  swimming,  and  they  appeared  to  be  instantly  aware  of 
the  very  important  fact.  Rising  in  a  body,  they  filled  the  air 
with  yells,  and  poured  in  a  harmless  fire.  While  up  in 
this  unguarded  manner,  two  rifles  were  discharged  by  their 
adversaries.  One  came  from  the  summit  of  the  block,  and 
an  Iroquois  fell  dead  in  his  tracks,  shot  through  the  brain. 
The  other  came  from  the  Scud.  The  last  was  the  piece  of 
the  Delaware,  but,  less  true  than  that  of  his  friend,  it  only 
maimed  an  enemy  for  life.  The  people  of  the  Scud  shouted, 
and  the  savages  sank  again  to  a  man,  as  if  it  might  be  into 
the  earth. 

"That  was  the  Sarpent's  voice,"  said  Pathfinder  as  soon 
as  the  second  piece  was  discharged.  ' '  I  know  the  crack  of 
his  rifle  as  well  as  I  do  that  of  Killdeer.  'Tis  a  good  barrel, 
though  not  sartain  death.  Well,  well,  with  Chingachgook 
and  Jasper  on  the  water,  and  you  and  I  in  the  block,  friend 
Cap,  it  will  be  hard  if  we  don't  teach  these  Mingo  scamps  the 
rationality  of  a  fight ! ' ' 

All  this  time  the  Scud  was  in  motion.  As  soon  as  she  had 
reached  the  end  of  the  island,  Jasper  sent  his  prizes  adrift ;  and 
they  went  down  before  the  wind,  until  they  stranded  on  a 
point  more  than  a  mile  to  leeward.  He  then  wore,  and 
came  stemming  the  current  again,  through  the  other  passage. 
Those  on  the  summit  of  the  block  could  now  perceive  that 
something  was  in  agitation  on  the  deck  of  the  Scud  ;  and  to 
their  delight,  just  as  the  cutter  came  abreast  of  the  prin- 
cipal cove,  on  the  spot  where  most  of  the  enemy  lay,  the 
howitzer,  which  composed  her  sole  armament,  was  un- 
masked, and  a  shower  of  case-shot  was  sent  hissing  into  the 


436  Ube  ipatbfinfcer 


bushes.  A  bevy  of  quail  would  not  have  risen  quicker 
than  this  unexpected  discharge  of  iron  hail  put  up  the 
Iroquois  when  a  second  savage  fell  by  a  messenger  sent 
from  Killdeer,  and  another  went  limping  away,  by  a  visit 
from  the  rifle  of  Chingachgook.  New  covers  were  immedi- 
ately found,  however ;  and  each  party  seemed  to  prepare  for 
the  renewal  of  the  strike  in  another  form.  But  the  appear- 
ance of  June,  bearing  a  white  flag,  and  accompanied  by  .the 
French  officer  and  Muir,  stayed  the  hands  of  all,  and  was 
the  forerunner  of  another  parley. 

The  negotiation  that  followed  was  held  beneath  the 
block-house ;  and  so  near  it  as  at  once  to  put  those  who 
were  uncovered  completely  at  the  mercy  of  Pathfinder's 
unerring  aim.  Jasper  anchored  directly  abeam  ;  and  the 
howitzer,  too,  was  kept  trained  upon  the  negotiators  :  so  that 
the  besieged  and  their  friends,  with  the  exception  of  the  man 
who  held  the  match,  had  no  hesitation  about  exposing  their 
persons.  Chingachgook  alone  lay  in  ambush  ;  more,  how- 
ever, from  habit  than  distrust. 

"You  've  triumphed,  Pathfinder,"  called  out  the  quarter- 
master, "and  Captain  Sanglier  has  come  himself  to  offer 
terms.  You  '11  no  be  denying  a  brave  enemy  an  honorable 
retreat,  when  he  has  fought  ye  fairly  and  done  all  the  credit 
he  could  to  king  and  country.  Ye  are  too  loyal  a  subject 
yourself,  to  visit  loyalty  and  fidelity  with  a  heavy  judg- 
ment. I  am  authorized  to  offer  on  the  part  of  the  enemy 
an  evacuation  of  the  island,  a  mutual  exchange  of  prisoners, 
and  a  restoration  of  scalps.  In  the  absence  of  baggage  and 
artillery,  little  more  can  be  done. ' ' 

As  the  conversation  was  necessarily  carried  on  in  a  high 
key,  both  on  account  of  the  wind,  and  on  account  of  the 
distance,  all  that  was  said  was  heard  equally  by  those  in  the 
block  and  those  in  the  cutter. 

"What  do  you  say  to  that,  Jasper?"  called  out  Path- 
finder. "You  hear  the  tarms  :  shall  we  let  the  vagabonds 
go  ;  or  shall  we  mark  them,  as  they  mark  their  sheep  in  the 
settlements,  that  we  may  know  them  again  ? ' ' 

"What  has  befallen  Mabel  Dunham?"  demanded  the 
young  man,  with  a  frown  on  his  handsome  face,  that  was 


TTbe  patbffnfcer  437 


visible  even  to  those  in  the  block.  "  If  a  hair  of  her  head 
has  been  touched,  it  will  go  hard  with  the  whole  Iroquois 
tribe!" 

"  Nay,  nay,  she  is  safe  below,  nursing  a  dying  parent  as 
becomes  her  sex.  We  owe  no  grudge  on  account  of  the 
sergeant's  hurt,  which  comes  of  lawful  warfare  ;  and  as  for 
Mabel—" 

"She  is  here,"  exclaimed  the  girl  herself,  who  had 
mounted  to  the  roof  the  moment  she  found  the  direction 
things  were  taking.  "She  is  here;  and  in  the  name  of 
our  holy  religion,  and  of  that  God  whom  we  profess  to 
worship  in  common,  let  there  be  no  more  bloodshed ! 
Enough  has  been  spilt  already  ;  and  if  these  men  will  go 
away,  Pathfinder — if  they  will  depart  peaceably,  Jasper — 
O  !  do  not  detain  one  of  them.  My  poor  father  is  approach- 
ing his  end,  and  it  were  better  that  he  should  draw  his  last 
breath  in  peace  with  the  world.  Go,  go,  Frenchmen  and 
Indians  ;  we  are  no  longer  your  enemies,  and  will  harm 
none  of  you." 

"  Tut,  tut,  Magnet  !  "  put  in  Cap,  "this  sounds  religious, 
perhaps,  or  like  a  book  of  poetry ;  but  it  does  not  sound 
like  common-sense.  The  enemy  is  just  ready  to  strike ; 
Jasper  is  anchored  with  his  broadside  to  bear,  and  no  doubt 
with  springs  on  his  cables ;  Pathfinder's  eye  and  hand  are 
as  true  as  the  needle ;  and  we  shall  get  prize-money,  head- 
money,  and  honor  in  the  bargain,  if  you  will  not  interfere 
for  the  next  half-hour." 

"Well,"  said  Pathfinder,  "I  incline  to  Mabel's  way  of 
thinking.  There  has  been  enough  blood  shed  to  answer  our 
purpose  and  to  sarve  the  king  ;  and  as  for  honor  in  that 
meaning,  it  will  do  better  for  young  ensigns  and  recruits, 
than  for  cool-headed,  obsarvant,  Christian  men.  There  is 
honor  in  doing  what 's  right,  and  unhonor  in  doing  what 's 
wrong  ;  and  I  think  it  wrong  to  take  the  life  even  of  a  Mingo 
without  a  useful  ind  in  view,  I  do  ;  and  right  to  hear  reason 
at  all  times.  So,  Lieutenant  Muir,  let  us  know  what  your 
friends,  the  Frenchers  and  Injins,  have  to  say  for  them- 
selves." 

"  My  friends  !  "  said  Muir,  starting.     "  You  '11  no  be  call- 


438  tlfoe  patbfinfcer 


ing  the  king's  enemies  my  friends,  Pathfinder,  because  the 
fortune  of  war  has  thrown  me  into  their  hands  ?  Some  of 
the  greatest  warriors,  both  of  ancient  and  modern  times, 
have  been  prisoners  of  war ;  .and  yon  is  Master  Cap,  who 
can  testify  whether  we  did  not  do  all  that  men  could  devise 
to  escape  the  calamity." 

"Ay,  ay,"  dryly  answered  Cap,  "escape  is  a  proper 
word.  We  ran  below  and  hid  ourselves,  and  so  discreetly, 
that  we  might  have  remained  in  the  hole  to  this  hour,  had 
it  not  been  for  the  necessity  of  re-stowing  the  bread-lock- 
ers. You  burrowed  on  that  occasion,  quartermaster,  as  hand- 
ily as  a  fox  ;  and  how  the  d 1  you  knew  so  well  where 

to  find  the  spot  is  a  matter  of  wonder  to  me.  A  regular 
skulk  on  board  ship  does  not  tail  aft  more  readily  when  the 
jib  is  to  be  stowed,  than  you  went  into  that  same  hole  !  " 

"  And  did  ye  no  follow  ?  There  are  moments  in  a  man's 
life  when  reason  ascends  to  instinct — " 

"And  men  descend  into  holes,"  interrupted  Cap,  laugh- 
ing in  his  boisterous  way,  while  Pathfinder  chimed  in  in  his 
peculiar  manner.  Even  Jasper,  though  still  filled  with  con- 
cern for  Mabel,  was  obliged  to  smile.  "They  say  the 

d 1  wouldn't  make  a  sailor  if  he  didn't  look  aloft,  and 

now  it  seems  he  '11  not  make  a  soldier  if  he  does  n't  look 
below  !  " 

This  burst  of  merriment,  though  it  was  anything  but 
agreeable  to  Muir,  contributed  largely  towards  keeping  the 
peace.  Cap  fancied  he  had  said  a  thing  much  better  than 
common,  and  that  disposed  him  to  yield  his  own  opinion  on 
the  main  point,  so  long  as  he  got  the  good  opinion  of  his 
companions  on  his  novel  claim  to  be  a  wit.  After  a  short 
discussion,  all  the  savages  on  the  island  were  collected  in  a 
body,  without  arms,  at  the  distance  of  a  hundred  yards  from 
the  block,  and  under  the  gun  of  the  Scud,  while  Pathfinder 
descended  to  the  door  of  the  block-house,  and  settled  the 
terms  on  which  the  island  was  to  be  finally  evacuated  by 
the  enemy.  Considering  all  the  circumstances,  the  condi- 
tions were  not  very  discreditable  to  either  party.  The  In- 
dians were  compelled  to  give  up  all  their  arms,  even  to 
their  knives  and  tomahawks,  as  a  measure  of  precaution, 


ttbe  patbffnber  439 


their  force  being  still  quadruple  that  of  their  foes.  The 
French  officer,  Monsieur  Sanglier,  as  he  was  usually  styled, 
and  chose  to  call  himself,  remonstrated  against  this  act  as 
one  likely  to  reflect  more  discredit  on  his  command  than 
any  other  part  of  the  affair ;  but  Pathfinder,  who  had  wit- 
nessed one  or  two  Indian  massacres,  and  knew  how  value- 
less pledges  became  when  put  in  opposition  to  interest, 
where  a  savage  was  concerned,  was  obdurate.  The  second 
stipulation  was  of  nearly  the  same  importance.  It  com- 
pelled Captain  Sanglier  to  give  up  all  his  prisoners,  who 
had  been  kept  well  guarded,  in  the  very  hole  or  cave  in 
which  Cap  and  Muir  had  taken  refuge.  When  these  men 
were  produced,  four  of  them  were  found  to  be  unhurt ;  they 
had  fallen  merely  to  save  their  lives,  a  common  artifice  in 
that  species  of  warfare  ;  and  of  the  remainder,  two  were  so 
slightly  injured  as  not  to  be  unfit  for  service.  As  they- 
brought  their  muskets  with  them,  this  addition  to  his  force 
immediately  put  Pathfinder  at  his  ease,  for  having  collected 
all  the  arms  of  the  enemy  in  the  block-house,  he  directed 
these  men  to  take  possession  of  the  building,  stationing  a 
regular  sentinel  at  the  door.  The  remainder  of  the  soldiers 
were  dead,  the  badly  wounded  having  been  instantly  de- 
spatched, in  order  to  obtain  the  much-coveted  scalps. 

As  soon  as  Jasper  was  made  acquainted  with  the  terms, 
and  the  preliminaries  had  been  so  far  observed  as  to  render 
it  safe  for  him  to  be  absent,  he  got  the  Scud  under  way, 
and  running  down  to  the  point  where  the  boats  had 
stranded,  he  took  them  in  tow  again,  and,  making  a  few 
stretches,  brought  them  into  the  leeward  passage.  Here  all 
the  savages  instantly  embarked,  when  Jasper  took  the 
boats  in  tow  a  third  time,  and  running  off  before  the  wind, 
he  soon  set  them  adrift,  quite  a  mile  to  leeward  of  the 
island.  The  Indians  were  furnished  with  but  a  single  oar 
in  each  boat,  to  steer  with,  the  young  sailor  well  knowing 
that,  by  keeping  before  the  wind,  they  would  land  on  the 
shores  of  Canada  in  the  course  of  the  morning. 

Captain  Sanglier,  Arrowhead,  and  June,  alone  remained, 
when  this  disposition  had  been  made  of  the  rest  of  the 
party ;  the  former  having  certain  papers  to  draw  up  and 


44o  Ube  patbfinfcer 


sign  with  Lieutenant  Muir,  who,  in  his  eyes,  possessed  the 
virtues  which  are  attached  to  a  commission,  and  the  latter 
preferring,  for  reasons  of  his  own,  not  to  depart  in  company 
with  his  late  friends,  the  Iroquois.  Canoes  were  retained, 
for  the  departure  of  these  three,  when  the  proper  moment 
should  arrive. 

In  the  meantime,  or  while  the  Scud  was  running  down 
with  the  boats  in  tow,  Pathfinder  and  Cap,  aided  by  proper 
assistants,  busied  themselves  with  preparing  a  breakfast ; 
most  of  the  party  not  having  eaten  for  four-and-twenty 
hours.  The  brief  space  that  passed  in  this  manner,  before 
the  Scud  came-to  again,  was  little  interrupted  by  discourse, 
though  Pathfinder  found  leisure  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  ser- 
geant, to  say  a  few  friendly  words  to  Mabel,  and  to  give 
such  directions  as  he  thought  might  smooth  the  passage 
of  the  dying  man.  As  for  Mabel  herself,  he  insisted  on  her 
taking  some  light  refreshment,  and  there  no  longer  existing 
any  motive  for  keeping  it  there,  he  had  the  guard  removed 
from  the  block,  in  order  that  the  daughter  might  have  no 
impediment  to  her  attentions  to  her  father.  These  little 
arrangements  completed,  our  hero  returned  to  the  fire, 
around  which  he  found  all  the  remainder  of  the  party  as- 
sembled, including  Jasper. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

"  You  saw  but  sorrow  in  its  waning  form, 
A  working  sea  remaining  from  a  storm, 
Where  now  the  weary  waves  roll  o'er  the  deep, 
And  faintly  murmur  ere  they  fall  asleep." 

DRYDEN. 

MEN  accustomed  to  a  warfare  like  that  we  have 
been  describing,  are  not  apt  to  be  much  under  the 
influence  of  the  tender  feelings  while  still  in  the 
field.     Notwithstanding  their  habits,  however, 
more  than  one  heart  was  with  Mabel  in  the  block,  while  the 
incidents  we  are  about  to  relate  were  in  the  course  of  occur- 
rence ;  and  even  the  indispensable  meal  was  less  relished  by 
the  hardiest  of  the  soldiers  than  it  might  have  been  had  not 
the  sergeant  been  so  near  his  end. 

As  Pathfinder  returned  from  the  block,  he  was  met  by 
Muir,  who  led  him  aside  in  order  to  hold  a  private  discourse. 
The  manner  of  the  quartermaster  had  that  air  of  supereroga- 
tory courtesy  about  it  which  almost  invariably  denotes  arti- 
fice ;  for,  while  physiognomy  and  phrenology  are  but  lame 
sciences  at  the  best,  and  perhaps  lead  to  as  many  false  as 
right  conclusions,  we  hold  that  there  is  no  more  infallible 
evidence  of  insincerity  of  purpose,  short  of  overt  acts,  than  a 
faces  that  smiles  when  there  is  no  occasion,  and  the  tongue 
that  is  out  of  measure  smooth.  Muir  had  much  of  this 
manner  in  common,  mingled  with  an  apparent  frankness,  that 
his  Scottish  intonation  of  voice,  Scottish  accent,  and  Scottish 
modes  of  expression,  were  singularly  adapted  to  sustain.  He 
owed  his  preferment,  indeed,  to  a  long-exercised  deference  to 
Lundie  and  his  family  ;  for,  while  the  major  himself  was 
much  too  acute  to  be  the  dupe  of  one  so  much  his  inferior 

441 


442 


in  real  talents  and  attainments,  most  persons  are  accustomed 
to  make  liberal  concessions  to  the  flatterer,  even  while 
they  distrust  his  truth,  and  are  perfectly  aware  of  his 
motives.  On  the  present  occasion,  the  contest  in  skill  was 
between  two  men  as  completely  the  opposites  of  each  other, 
in  all  the  leading  essentials  of  character,  as  very  well  could 
be.  Pathfinder  was  as  simple  as  the  quartermaster  was 
practised  ;  he  was  as  sincere  as  the  other  was  false,  and  as 
direct  as  the  last  was  tortuous.  Both  were  cool  and  calcula- 
ting, and  both  were  brave,  though  in  different  modes  and 
degrees ;  Muir  never  exposing  his  person  except  for  effect, 
while  the  guide  included  fear  among  the  rational  passions,  or 
as  a  sensation  to  be  deferred  to  only  when  good  might  come 
of  it. 

"My  dearest  friend,"  Muir  commenced,  "for  ye '11  be 
dearer  to  us  all,  by  seventy-and-seven  fold,  after  your  late 
conduct,  than  ever  ye  were,  ye  've  just  established  yourself, 
in  this  late  transaction  !  It 's  true  that  they  '11  no  be  making 
ye  a  commissioned  officer,  for  that  species  of  prefairment  is 
not  much  in  your  line,  nor  much  in  your  wishes,  I  'm  think- 
ing ;  but  as  a  guide,  and  a  counsellor,  and  a  loyal  subject, 
and  an  expert  marksman,  yer'  renown  may  be  said  to  be 
full.  I  doubt  if  the  commander-in-chief  will  carry  away 
with  him  from  America  as  much  credit  as  will  fall  to  yer' 
share,  and  ye  ought  just  to  sit  down  in  content,  and  enjoy 
yourself  for  the  remainder  of  yer'  days.  Get  married,  man, 
without  delay,  and  look  to  yer'  precious  happiness,  for  ye  've 
no  occasion  to  look  any  longer  to  your  glory.  Take  Mabel 
Dunham,  for  Heaven's  sake,  to  your  bosom,  and  ye '11  have 
both  a  bonny  bride  and  a  bonny  reputation." 

Why,  quartermaster,  this  is  a  new  piece  of  advice  to 
come  from  your  mouth  !  They  've  told  me  I  had  a  rival 
in  you  !" 

"  And  ye  had,  man  ;  and  a  formidable  one,  too,  I  can  tell 
ye !  One  that  has  never  yet  courted  in  vain,  and  yet  one 
that  has  courted  five  times.  I^undie  twits  me  with  four, 
and  I  deny  the  charge  ;  but  he  little  thinks  the  truth  would 
outdo  even  his  arithmetic!  Yes,  yes;  ye  had  a  rival, 
Pathfinder,  but  ye '  ve  one  no  longer  in  me.  Ye '  ve  my  hearty 


patbfinfcer  443 


wishes  for  yer'  success  with  Mabel,  and  were  the  honest  ser- 
geant likely  to  survive,  ye  might  rely  on  my  good  word  with 
him,  too,  for  a  certainty." 

' '  I  feel  your  friendship,  quartermaster,  I  feel  your  friend- 
ship, though  I  have  no  great  need  of  any  favor  with  Sergeant 
Dunham,  who  has  long  been  my  friend.  I  believe  we  may 
look  upon  the  matter  to  be  as  sartain  as  most  things  in  war- 
time ;  for  Mabel  and  her  father  consenting,  the  whole  55th 
could  n't  very  well  put  a  stop  to  it.  Ah's  me  !  the  poor  father 
will  scarcely  live  to  see  what  his  heart  has  so  long  been  set 
upon  ! ' ' 

"  But  he  '11  have  the  consolation  of  knowing  it  will  come  to 
pass,  in  dying.  O  !  it 's  a  great  relief,  Pathfinder,  for  the 
parting  spirit  to  feel  certain  that  the  beloved  ones  left  behind 
will  be  well  provided  for,  after  its  departure.  All  the  Mis- 
tress Muirs  have  duly  expressed  that  sentiment,  with  their 
dying  breaths." 

' '  All  your  wives,  quartermaster,  have  been  likely  to  feel 
this  consolation  !  " 

"Out  upon  ye,  man, — I'd  no  thought  ye  such  a  wag! 
Well,  well ;  pleasant  words  make  no  heart-burnings  between 
auld  fri'nds.  If  I  cannot  espouse  Mabel,  ye '11  no  object  to 
my  esteeming  her,  and  speaking  well  of  her,  and  of  yoursal' , 
too,  on  all  suitable  occasions,  and  in  all  companies.  But, 
Pathfinder,  ye  '11  easily  understan'  that  a  poor  deevil,  who 
loses  such  a  bride,  will  probably  stand  in  need  of  some 
consolation."  , 

"  Quite  likely — quite  likely,  quartermaster,"  returned  the 
simple-minded  guide  ;  "  I  know  the  loss  of  Mabel  would  be 
heavy  to  be  borne  by  myself.  It  may  bear  hard  on  your 
feelings  to  see  us  married,  but  the  death  of  the  sergeant  will 
be  likely  to  put  it  off,  and  you  '11  have  time  to  think  more 
manfully  of  it,  you  will. ' ' 

"I'll  bear  up  against  it — yes,  I'll  bear  up  against  it, 
though  my  heart-strings  crack  ;  and  ye  might  help  me,  man, 
by  giving  me  something  to  do.  Ye  '11  understand  that  this 
expedition  has  been  of  a  very  peculiar  nature,  for  here  am  I, 
bearing  the  king's  commission,  just  a  volunteer,  as  it  might 
be  ;  while  a  mere  orderly  has  had  the  command.  I  've  sub- 


444  tlbe  jpatbfinfcer 

mitted  for  various  reasons,  though  my  blood  has  boiled  to 
be  in  authority,  while  ye  war'  battling  for  the  honor  of  the 
country,  and  his  majesty's  rights — " 

"Quartermaster,"  interrupted  the  guide,  "you  fell  so 
early  into  the  enemy's  hands,  that  your  conscience  ought  to 
be  easily  satisfied  on  that  score  ;  so  take  my  advice,  and  say 
nothing  about  it." 

"  That 's  just  my  opinion,  Pathfinder ;  we  '11  all  say  noth- 
ing about  it.  Sergeant  Dunham  is  hors-de-combat — " 

"  Anan  !  "  said  the  guide. 

"  Why  the  sergeant  can  command  no  longer,  and  it  will 
hardly  do  to  leave  a  corporal  at  the  head  of  a  victorious 
party,  like  this  ;  for  flowers  that  will  bloom  in  a  garden  will 
die  on  a  heath  ;  and  I  was  just  thinking  I  would  claim  the 
authority  that  belongs  to  one  who  holds  a  lieutenant's  com- 
mission. As  for  the  men,  they  '11  no  dare  to  raise  any  ob- 
jaction,  and  as  for  yoursal',  my  dear  friend,  now  that  ye've 
so  much  honor,  and  Mabel,  and  the  consciousness  of  having 
done  yer'  duty,  which  is  more  precious  than  all,  I  expect  to 
find  an  ally  rather  than  one  to  oppose  the  plan." 

"  As  for  commanding  the  soldiers  of  the  55th,  lieutenant, 
it  is  your  right,  I  suppose,  and  no  one  here  will  be  likely  to 
gainsay  it ;  though  you  've  been  a  prisoner  of  war,  and  there 
are  men  who  might  stand  out  agin  giving  up  their  authority 
to  a  prisoner  released  by  their  own  deeds.  Still,  no  one  here 
will  be  likely  to  say  anything  hostile  to  your  wishes." 

"  That's  just  it,  Pathfinder ;  and  when  I  come  to  draw 
up  the  report  of  our  success  against  the  boats,  and  the  de- 
fence of  the  block,  together  with  the  general  operations,  in- 
cluding the  capitulation,  ye  '11  no  find  any  omission  of  your 
claims  and  merits. ' ' 

Tut,  for  my  claims  and  merits,  quartermaster  !  I^undie 
knows  what  I  am  in  the  forest,  and  what  I  am  in  the  fort ; 
and  the  general  knows  better  than  he.  No  fear  of  me  ;  tell 
your  own  story,  only  taking  care  to  do  justice  by  Mabel's 
father,  who,  in  one  sense,  is  the  commanding  officer  at  this 
very  moment." 

Muir  expressed  his  entire  satisfaction  at  this  arrangement, 
as  well  as  his  determination  to  do  justice  by  all,  when  the 


TTbe  patbfinOer  445 


two  went  to  the  group  that  was  assembled  round  the  fire. 
Here  the  quartermaster  began,  for  the  first  time  since  leav- 
ing Oswego,  to  assume  some  of  the  authority  that  might 
properly  be  supposed  to  belong  to  his  rank.  Taking  the 
remaining  corporal  aside,  he  distinctly  told  that  functionary 
that  he  must  in  future  be  regarded  as  one  holding  the  king's 
commission,  and  directed  him  to  acquaint  his  subordinates 
with  the  new  state  of  things.  This  change  in  the  dynasty 
was  effected  without  any  of  the  usual  symptoms  of  a  revolu- 
tion ;  for  as  all  well  understood  the  lieutenant's  legal  claims 
to  command,  no  one  felt  disposed  to  dispute  his  orders.  For 
reasons  best  known  to  themselves,  Lundie  and  the  quarter- 
master had,  originally,  made  a  different  disposition,  and 
now,  for  reasons  of  his  own,  the  latter  had  seen  fit  to  change 
it.  This  was  reasoning  enough  for  soldiers,  though  the 
hurt  received  by  Sergeant  Dunham  would  have  sufficiently 
explained  the  circumstance,  had  an  explanation  been  re- 
quired. 

All  this  time  Captain  Sanglier  was  looking  after  his  own 
breakfast,  with  the  resignation  of  a  philosopher,  the  cool- 
ness of  a  veteran,  the  ingenuity  and  science  of  a  French- 
man, and  the  voracity  of  an  ostrich.  This  person  had  now 
been  in  the  colony  some  thirty  years,  having  left  France  in 
some  such  situation  in  his  own  army,  as  Muir  filled  in  the 
55th.  An  iron  constitution,  perfect  obduracy  of  feeling,  a 
certain  address  well  suited  to  manage  savages,  and  an 
indomitable  courage,  had  early  pointed  him  out  to  the 
commander-in-chief  as  a  suitable  agent  to  be  employed  in 
directing  the  military  operations  of  his  Indian  allies.  In 
this  capacity,  then,  he  had  risen  to  the  titular  rank  of 
captain  ;  and  with  his  promotion,  had  acquired  a  portion  of 
the  habits  and  opinions  of  his  associates,  with  a  facility  and 
an  adaptation  of  self,  that  are  thought,  in  this  part  of  the 
world,  to  be  peculiar  to  his  countrymen.  He  had  often  led 
parties  of  the  Iroquois  in  their  predatory  expeditions  ;  and 
his  conduct  on  such  occasions  exhibited  the  contradictory 
results  of  both  alleviating  the  misery  produced  by  this 
species  of  warfare,  and  of  augmenting  it,  by  the  broader 
views  and  greater  resources  of  civilization.  In  other  words, 


446  TTbe  Jpatbfinfcer 


he  planned  enterprises,  that,  in  their  importance  and  conse- 
quences, much  exceeded  the  usual  policy  of  the  Indians, 
and  then  stepped  in  to  lessen  some  of  the  evils  of  his  own 
creating.  In  short,  he  was  an  adventurer  whom  circum- 
stances had  thrown  into  a  situation  where  the  callous  quali- 
ties of  men  of  his  class  might  readily  show  themselves,  for 
good  or  for  evil ;  and  he  was  not  of  a  character  to  baffle 
fortune  by  any  ill-timed  squeamishness  on  the  score  of  early 
impressions,  or  to  trifle  with  her  liberality,  by  unnecessarily 
provoking  her  frowns  through  wanton  cruelty.  Still,  as  his 
name  was  unavoidably  connected  with  many  of  the  excesses 
committed  by  his  parties,  he  was  generally  considered,  in 
the  American  Provinces,  a  wretch  who  delighted  in  blood- 
shed, and  who  found  his  greatest  happiness  in  tormenting 
the  helpless  and  the  innocent ;  and  the  name  of  Sanglier, 
which  was  a  sobriquet  of  his  own  adopting,  or  of  Flint 
Heart,  as  he  was  usually  termed  on  the  borders,  had  got  to 
be  as  terrible  to  the  women  and  children  of  that  part  of  the 
country,  as  those  of  Butler  and  Brandt  became  at  a  later  day. 
The  meeting  between  Pathfinder  and  Sanglier  bore  some 
resemblance  to  that  celebrated  interview  between  Wellington 
and  Blucher,  which  has  been  so  often  and  graphically  told. 
It  took  place  at  the  fire  ;  and  the  parties  stood  earnestly 
regarding  each  other  for  more  than  a  minute  without  speak- 
ing. Each  felt  that  in  the  other  he  saw  a  formidable  foe ; 
and  each  felt,  while  he  ought  to  treat  the  other  with  the 
manly  liberality  due  to  a  warrior,  that  there  was  little  in 
common  between  them,  in  the  way  of  character,  as  well  as 
of  interests.  One  served  for  money  and  preferment ;  the 
other,  because  his  life  had  been  cast  in  the  wilderness,  and 
the  land  of  his  birth  needed  his  arm  and  experience.  The 
desire  of  rising  above  his  present  situation  never  disturbed 
the  tranquillity  of  Pathfinder  ;  nor  had  he  ever  known  an 
ambitious  thought,  as  ambition  usually  betrays  itself,  until 
he  became  acquainted  with  Mabel.  Since  then,  indeed,  dis- 
trust of  himself,  reverence  for  her,  and  the  wish  to  place 
her  in  a  situation  above  that  which  he  then  filled,  had 
caused  him  some  uneasy  moments,  but  the  directness  and 
simplicity  of  his  character  had  early  afforded  the  required 


Ube  jpatbfinfcer  447 


relief;  and  lie  soon  came  to  feel,  that  the  woman  who  would 
not  hesitate  to  accept  him  for  her  husband,  would  not 
scruple  to  share  his  fortunes,  however  humble.  He  re- 
spected Sanglier  as  a  brave  warrior ;  and  he  had  far  too  much 
of  that  liberality  which  is  the  result  of  practical  knowledge, 
to  believe  half  of  what  he  had  heard  to  his  prejudice  ;  for  the 
most  bigoted  and  illiberal  on  every  subject,  are  usually 
those  who  know  nothing  about  it ;  but  he  could  not  approve 
of  his  selfishness,  cold-blooded  calculations,  and,  least  of  all, 
of  the  manner  in  which  he  forgot  his  ' '  white  gifts, ' '  to 
adopt  those  that  were  purely  "red."  On  the  other  hand, 
Pathfinder  was  a  riddle  to  Captain  Sanglier.  The  latter 
could  not  comprehend  the  other's  motives ;  he  had  often 
heard  of  his  disinterestedness,  justice,  and  truth ;  and,  in 
several  instances,  they  had  led  him  into  grave  errors,  on 
that  principle  by  which  a  frank  and  open-mouthed  diploma- 
tist is  said  to  keep  his  secrets  better  than  one  that  is  close- 
mouthed  and  wily. 

After  the  two  heroes  had  gazed  at  each  other,  in  the 
manner  mentioned,  Monsieur  Sanglier  touched  his  cap ;  for 
the  rudeness  of  a  border  life  had  not  entirely  destroyed  the 
courtesy  of  manner  he  had  acquired  in  youth,  nor  extin- 
guished that  appearance  of  bonhomie  which  seems  inbred  in 
a  Frenchman. 

"  Monsieur  le  Pathfindair,"  he  said,  with  a  very  decided 
accent,  though  with  a  friendly  smile,  ' '  un  militaire  honor  le 
courage  et  la  loyaute.  You  speak  Iroquois  ?  " 

' '  Ay,  I  understand  the  language  of  the  riptyles,  and  can 
get  along  with  it,  if  there's  occasion,"  returned  the  liberal 
and  truth-telling  guide;  "but  it's  neither  a  tongue  nor  a 
tribe  to  my  taste.  Wherever  you  find  the  Mingo  blood,  in 
my  opinion,  Master  Flinty-Heart,  you  find  a  knave.  Well, 
I  've  seen  you  often,  though  it  was  in  battle  ;  and  I  must 
say,  it  was  always  in  the  van.  You  must  know  most  of  our 
bullets  by  sight  ?  ' ' 

"  Newair,  sair,  your  own  ;  une  balle  from  your  honorable 
hand  be  sairtaine  deaf.  You  kill  my  best  warrior  on  some 
island." 

"  That  may  be— that  may  be  ;  though  I  dare  say,  if  the 


44s  TTbe  jpatbfinfcer 


truth  was  known,  they  would  turn  out  to  be  great  rascals. 
No  offence  to  you,  Master  Flinty-Heart,  but  you  keep  des- 
perate evil  company." 

"Yes,  sair,"  returned  the  Frenchman,  who,  bent  on  say- 
ing that  which  was  courteous  himself,  and  comprehending 
with  difficulty,  was  disposed  to  think  he  received  a  compli- 
ment, "you  too  good.  But,  un  brave  always  comme  ca. 
What  that  mean — ha  !  what  that  jeune  homme  do  ?  " 

The  hand  and  eye  of  Captain  Sanglier  directed  the  look 
of  Pathfinder  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  fire,  where  Jasper 
just  at  that  moment,  had  been  rudely  seized  by  two  of  the 
soldiers,  who  were  binding  his  arms  under  the  direction  of 
Muir. 

"What  does  that  mean,  indeed?"  cried  the  guide,  step- 
ping forward,  and  shoving  the  two  subordinates  away  with 
a  power  of  muscle  that  would  not  be  denied.  ' '  Who  has 
the  heart  to  do  this  to  Jasper  Eau-douce  ;  and  who  has  the 
boldness  to  do  it  before  my  eyes  ? ' ' 

"It  is  by  my  orders,  Pathfinder,"  answered  the  quarter- 
master; "and  I  command  it  on  my  own  responsibility. 
Ye  '11  no  tak'  on  yourself  to  dispute  the  legality  of  orders 
given  by  one  who  bears  the  king's  commission  to  the  king's 
soldiers  ? ' ' 

"I'd dispute  the  king's  words  if  they  came  from  the 
king's  own  mouth,  did  they  say  that  Jasper  desarves  this. 
Has  not  the  lad  just  saved  all  our  scalps?  taken  us  from 
defeat,  and  given  us  victory  ?  No,  no,  lieutenant ;  if  this  is 
the  first  use  that  you  make  of  your  authority,  I  for  one  will 
not  respect  it." 

"  This  savors  a  little  of  insubordination,"  answered  Muir  ; 
"but  we  can  bear  much  from  Pathfinder.  It  is  true  this 
Jasper  has  seemed  to  serve  us  in  this  affair ;  but  we  ought 
not  to  overlook  past  transactions.  Did  not  Major  Duncan 
himself  denounce  him  to  Sergeant  Dunham,  before  we  left 
the  post  ?  Have  we  not  seen  sufficient  with  our  own  eyes 
to  make  sure  of  having  been  betrayed?  And  is  it  not 
natural,  and  almost  necessary  to  believe  that  this  young  man 
has  been  the  traitor?  Ah  !  Pathfinder,  ye'll  no  be  makin' 
yourself  a  great  statesman  or  a  great  captain,  if  you  put  too 


ZTbe  patbfinfcer  449 


much  faith  in  appearances.  Lord  bless  me  !  Lord  bless  me  ! 
if  I  do  not  believe,  could  the  truth  be  come  at,  as  you  often 
say  yourself,  Pathfinder,  that  hypocrisy  is  a  more  common 
vice  than  even  envy  ;  and  that 's  the  bane  o'  human  nature." 

Captain  Sanglier  shrugged  his  shoulders  ;  then  he  looked 
earnestly  from  Jasper  towards  the  quartermaster,  and  from 
the  quartermaster  towards  Jasper. 

' '  I  care  not  for  your  envy  or  your  hypocrisy,  or  even  for 
your  human  natur' , ' '  returned  Pathfinder.  ' '  Jasper  Eau- 
douce  is  my  friend  ;  Jasper  Eau-douce  is  a  brave  lad,  and 
an  honest  lad,  and  a  loyal  lad  ;  and  no  man  of  the  55th 
shall  lay  hands  on  him  short  of  Lundie's  own  orders,  while 
I  'm  in  the  way  to  prevent  it.  You  may  have  authority 
over  your  soldiers,  but  you  have  none  over  Jasper  or  me, 
Master  Muir." 

"  Bon  !  "  ejaculated  Sanglier,  the  sound  partaking  equally 
of  the  energies  of  the  throat  and  of  the  nose. 

"Will  ye  no  hearken  to  reason,  Pathfinder?  Ye  '11  no  be 
forgetting  our  suspicions  and  judgments  ;  and  here  is  another 
circumstance  to  augment  and  aggravate  them  all.  Ye  can 
see  this  little  bit  of  bunting  ;  well,  where  should  it  be  found 
but  by  Mabel  Dunham,  on  the  branch  of  a  tree,  on  this 
very  island,  just  an  hour  or  so  before  the  attack  of  the 
enemy  ;  and  if  ye  '11  be  at  the  trouble  to  look  at  the  fly  of 
the  Scud's  ensign,  ye  '11  just  say  that  the  cloth  has  been  cut 
from  out  it.  Circumstantial  evidence  was  never  stronger." 

"Ma  foi,  c'est  un  peu  fort,  ceci,"  growled  Sanglier,  be- 
tween his  teeth. 

' '  Talk  to  me  of  no  ensigns  and  signals,  when  I  know  the 
heart,"  continued  the  Pathfinder.  "Jasper  has  the  gift  of 
honesty ;  and  it  is  too  rare  a  gift  to  be  trifled  with  like  a 
Mingo's  conscience.  No,  no  ;  off  hands,  or  we  shall  see 
which  can  make  the  stoutest  battle — you,  and  your  men 
of  the  55th,  or  the  Sarpent  here,  and  Killdeer,  with  Jasper 
and  his  crew.  You  overrate  your  force,  Lieutenant  Muir, 
as  much  as  you  underrate  Eau-douce' s  truth." 

"Tresbon!" 

"Well,  if  I  must  speak  plainly,  Pathfinder,  I  e'en  must. 
Captain  Sanglier  here,  and  Arrowhead,  this  brave  Tuscarora, 


45o  Ube  patbfin&er 


have  both  informed  me  that  this  unfortunate  boy  is  the 
traitor.  After  such  testimony  you  can  no  longer  oppose 
my  right  to  correct  him,  as  well  as  the  necessity  of  the  act." 

' '  Scele'rat, "  muttered  the  Frenchman. 

"  Captain  Sanglier  is  a  brave  soldier,  and  will  not  gainsay 
the  conduct  of  an  honest  sailor,"  put  in  Jasper.  "  Is  there 
any  traitor  here,  Captain  Flinty-Heart  ?  ' ' 

"Ay,"  added  Muir,  "let  him  speak  out  then,  since  ye 
wish  it,  unhappy  youth  ;  that  the  truth  may  be  known.  I 
only  hope  that  ye  may  escape  the  last  punishment  when  a 
court  will  be  sitting  on  your  misdeeds.  How  is  it,  captain, 
do  ye  or  do  ye  not  see  a  traitor  among  us?  " 

"  Oui — yes,  sair — bien,  sur." 

"Too  much  lie  !  "  said  Arrowhead,  in  a  voice  of  thunder, 
striking  the  breast  of  Muir,  with  the  back  of  his  own  hand, 
in  a  sort  of  ungovernable  gesture.  "Where  my  warriors? 
where  Yengeese  scalp?  Too  much  lie  !  " 

Muir  wanted  not  for  personal  courage,  nor  for  a  certain 
sense  of  personal  honor.  The  violence  which  had  been 
intended  only  for  a  gesture  he  mistook  for  a  blow  ;  for  con- 
science was  suddenly  aroused  within  him ;  and  he  stepped 
back  a  pace,  extending  a  hand  towards  a  gun.  His  face 
was  livid  with  rage  ;  and  his  countenance  expressed  the  fell 
intention  of  his  heart.  But  Arrowhead  was  too  quick  for 
him.  With  a  wild  glance  of  the  eye,  the  Tuscarora  looked 
about  him  ;  then  thrusting  a  hand  beneath  his  own  girdle, 
drew  forth  a  concealed  knife,  and,  in  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye,  buried  it  in  the  body  of  the  quartermaster  to  the 
handle.  As  the  latter  fell  at  his  feet,  gazing  into  his  face 
with  the  vacant  stare  of  one  surprised  by  death,  Sanglier 
took  a  pinch  of  snuff,  and  said,  in  a  calm  voice, — 

"Voila  1' affaire  finie  !  mais" — shrugging  his  shoulders — 
"  ce  n'est  qu'un  scelerat  de  moins." 

The  act  was  too  sudden  to  be  prevented,  and  when 
Arrowhead,  uttering  a  yell,  bounded  into  the  bushes,  the 
white  men  were  too  confounded  to  follow.  Chingachgook, 
however,  was  more  collected  ;  and  the  bushes  had  scarcely 
closed  on  the  passing  body  of  the  Tuscarora,  than  they 
were  again  opened  by  that  of  the  Delaware  in  full  pursuit. 


Ube  B>atbfint>er  451 


Jasper  Western  spoke  French  fluently,  and  the  words  and 
manner  of  Sanglier  struck  him. 

"Speak,  Monsieur,"  he  said,  in  English,  "am  I  the 
traitor?  " 

"  I,e  voila  !  "  answered  the  cool  Frenchman  ;  "  dat  is  our 
espion — our  agent — our  friend;  ma  foi — c'e*tait  un  grand 
scelerat — voici. ' ' 

While  speaking,  Sanglier  bent  over  the  dead  body,  and 
thrust  a  hand  into  a  pocket  of  the  quartermaster,  out  of 
which  he  drew  a  purse.  Emptying  the  contents  on  the 
ground,  several  double-L,ouis  rolled  towards  the  soldiers, 
who  were  not  slow  in  picking  them  up.  Casting  the  purse 
from  him,  in  contempt,  the  soldier  of  fortune  turned  towards 
the  soup  he  had  been  preparing  with  so  much  care,  and 
finding  it  to  his  liking,  he  began  to  break  his  fast,  with  an 
air  of  indifference  that  the  most  stoical  Indian  warrior  might 
have  envied. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

"The  only  amaranthine  flower  on  earth 
Is  virtue  ;  th'  only  lasting  treasure,  truth." 

COWPER. 

THE  reader  must  imagine  some  of  the  occurrences 
that  followed  the  sudden  death  of  Muir.  While 
his  body  was  in  the  hands  of  his  soldiers,  who 
laid  it  decently  aside,  and  covered  it  with  a  great- 
coat, Chingachgook  silently  resumed  his  place  at  the  fire, 
and  both  Sanglier  and  Pathfinder  remarked  that  he  carried 
a  fresh  and  bleeding  scalp  at  his  girdle.  No  one  asked  any 
questions ;  and  the  former,  although  perfectly  satisfied  that 
Arrowhead  had  fallen,  manifested  neither  curiosity  nor  feel- 
ing. He  continued  calmly  eating  his  soup,  as  if  the  meal 
had  been  tranquil  as  usual.  There  was  something  of  pride, 
and  of  an  assumed  indifference  to  fate,  imitated  from  the 
Indians,  in  all  this  ;  but  there  was  more  that  really  resulted 
from  practice,  habitual  self-command,  and  constitutional 
hardihood.  With  Pathfinder,  the  case  was  a  little  different 
in  feeling,  though  much  the  same  in  appearance.  He  dis- 
liked Muir,  whose  smooth-tongued  courtesy  was  little  in 
accordance  with  his  own  frank  and  ingenuous  nature  ;  but 
he  had  been  shocked  at  his  unexpected  and  violent  death, 
though  accustomed  to  similar  scenes,  and  he  had  been  sur- 
prised at  the  exposure  of  his  treachery.  With  a  view  to 
ascertain  the  extent  of  the  latter,  as  soon  as  the  body  was 
removed  he  began  to  question  the  captain  on  the  subject. 
The  latter  having  no  particular  motive  for  secrecy,  now  that 
his  agent  was  dead,  in  the  course  of  the  breakfast  revealed 
the  following  circumstances,  which  will  serve  to  clear  up 
some  of  the  minor  incidents  of  our  tale. 


jpatbfinfcer  453 


Soon  after  the  55th  appeared  on  the  frontiers,  Muir  had 
volunteered  his  services  to  the  enemy.  In  making  his 
offers  he  boasted  of  his  intimacy  with  L,undie,  and  of  the 
means  it  afforded  of  furnishing  more  accurate  and  important 
information  than  usual.  His  terms  had  been  accepted,  and 
Monsieur  Sanglier  had  several  interviews  with  him  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  fort  at  Oswego,  and  had  actually  passed  one 
entire  night  secreted  in  the  garrison.  Arrowhead,  however, 
was  the  usual  channel  of  communication,  and  the  anony- 
mous letter  to  Major  Duncan  had  been  originally  written 
by  Muir,  transmitted  to  Frontenac,  copied,  and  sent  back  by 
the  Tuscarora,  who  was  returning  from  that  errand  when 
captured  by  the  Scud.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add,  that 
Jasper  was  to  be  sacrificed  in  order  to  conceal  the  quarter- 
master's treason,  and  that  the  position  of  the  island  had 
been  betrayed  to  the  enemy  by  the  latter.  An  extraordi- 
nary compensation,  that  which  was  found  in  his  purse,  had 
induced  him  to  accompany  the  party  under  Sergeant  Dun- 
ham, in  order  to  give  the  signals  that  were  to  bring  on  the 
attack.  The  disposition  of  Muir  towards  the  sex  was  a  nat- 
ural weakness,  and  he  would  have  married  Mabel  or  any  one 
else  who  would  accept  his  hand ;  but  his  admiration  of  her 
was  in  a  great  degree  feigned,  in  order  that  he  might  have 
an  excuse  for  accompanying  the  party,  without  sharing  in 
the  responsibility  of  its  defeat,  or  incurring  the  risk  of  hav- 
ing no  other  strong  and  seemingly  sufficient  motive.  Much 
of  this  was  known  to  Captain  Sanglier,  particularly  the  part 
in  connection  with  Mabel ;  and  he  did  not  fail  to  let  his 
auditors  into  the  whole  secret,  frequently  laughing  in  a  sar- 
castic manner,  as  he  revealed  the  different  expedients  of  the 
luckless  quartermaster. 

"Touchez-la,"  said  the  cool-blooded  partisan,  holding  out 
his  sinewy  hand  to  Pathfinder,  when  he  ended  his  explana- 
tions ;  ' '  you  be  honne~te,  and  dat  is  beaucoup.  We  tak'  de 
spy,  as  we  tak'  la  medecine,  for  de  good  ;  mais,  je  les  de"teste  ! 
Touchez-la. ' ' 

"  I  '11  shake  your  hand,  captain,  I  will,  for  you  're  a  lawful 
and  nat'ral  inimy,"  returned  Pathfinder,  "and  a  manful  one  ; 
but  the  body  of  the  quartermaster  shall  never  disgrace  Bng- 


454  Kbt  patbfinfcer 


lish  ground.  I  did  intend  to  carry  it  back  to  Lundie,  that 
he  might  play  his  bagpipes  over  it;  but  now  it  shall  lie 
here,  on  the  spot  where  he  acted  his  villainy,  and  have  his 
own  treason  for  a  head-stone.  Captain  Flinty-Heart,  I 
suppose  this  consorting  with  traitors  is  a  part  of  a  soldier's 
regular  business ;  but  I  tell  you  honestly,  it  is  net  to  my 
liking,  and  I  'd  rather  it  should  be  you  than  I  who  had  this 
affair  on  his  conscience.  What  an  awful  sinner !  To  plot 
right  and  left  agin  country,  friends,  and  the  L,ord  !  Jasper, 
boy,  a  word  with  you  aside  for  a  single  minute." 

Pathfinder  now  led  the  young  man  apart,  and  squeezing 
his  hand,  with  the  tears  in  his  own  eyes,  he  continued, — 

"You  know  me,  Eau-douce,  and  I  know  you,"  he  said, 
' '  and  this  news  has  not  changed  my  opinion  of  }7ou  in  any 
manner.  I  never  believed  their  tales,  though  it  looked  sol- 
emn at  one  minute,  I  will  own ;  yes,  it  did  look  solemn ; 
and  it  made  me  feel  solemn,  too.  I  never  suspected  you  for 
a  minute,  for  I  know  your  gifts  don't  lie  thataway  ;  but  I 
must  own  I  did  n't  suspect  the  quartermaster  neither." 

"  And  he  holding  his  majesty's  commission,  Pathfinder  !  " 

"  It  is  n't  so  much  that,  Jasper  Western  ;  it  is  n't  so  much 
that.  He  held  a  commission  from  God  to  act  right,  and  to 
deal  fairly  with  his  fellow-creatur's,  and  he  has  failed  awfully 
in  his  duty  ! ' ' 

"To  think  of  his  pretending  love  for  one  like  Mabel,  too, 
when  he  felt  none  !  " 

That  was  bad  sartainly  ;  the  fellow  must  have  had 
Mingo  blood  in  his  veins.  The  man  that  deals  unfairly  by 
a  woman  can  be  but  a  mongrel,  lad  ;  for  the  Lord  has  made 
them  helpless  on  purpose  that  we  may  gain  their  love  by 
kindness  and  sarvices.  Here  is  the  sergeant,  poor  man,  on 
his  dying  bed ;  he  has  given  me  his  daughter  for  a  wife,  and 
Mabel,  dear  girl,  she  has  consented  to  it ;  and  it  makes  me 
feel  that  I  have  two  welfares  to  look  after,  two  natur's  to 
care  for,  and  two  hearts  to  gladden.  Ah  's  me  !  Jasper ;  I 
sometimes  feel  that  I  'm  not  good  enough  for  that  sweet 
child  !  " 

Eau-douce  had  nearly  gasped  for  breath  when  he  first 
heard  this  intelligence ;  and,  though  he  succeeded  in  sup- 


patbfinDer  455 


pressing  any  other  outward  signs  of  agitation,  his  cheek  was 
blanched  nearly  to  the  paleness  of  death.  Still  he  found 
means  to  answer,  not  only  with  firmness,  but  with  energy. 

' '  Say  not  so,  Pathfinder ;  you  are  good  enough  for  a 
queen. ' ' 

"Ay,  ay,  boy,  according  to  your  ideas  of  my  goodness  ; 
that  is  to  say — I  can  kill  a  deer,  or  even  a  Mingo  at  need, 
with  any  man  on  the  lines ;  or  I  can  follow  a  forest  path 
with  as  true  an  eye,  or  read  the  stars,  when  others  do  not 
understand  them.  No  doubt,  no  doubt,  Mabel  will  have 
venison  enough,  and  fish  enough,  and  pigeons  enough  ;  but 
will  she  have  knowledge  enough,  and  will  she  have  ideas 
enough,  and  pleasant  conversation  enough,  when  life  comes 
to  drag  a  little,  and  each  of  us  begins  to  pass  for  our  true 
value  ?  ' ' 

"  If  you  pass  for  your  value,  Pathfinder,  the  greatest  lady 
in  the  land  would  be  happy  with  you.  On  that  head,  you 
have  no  reason  to  feel  afraid." 

' '  Now,  Jasper,  I  dare  to  say  you  think  so — nay  I  know 
you  do ;  for  it  is  nat'ral  and  according  to  friendship,  for 
people  to  look  over  favorably  at  them  they  love.  Yes,  yes  ; 
if  I  had  to  marry  you,  boy,  I  should  give  myself  no  consarn 
about  being  well  looked  upon,  for  you  have  always  shown  a 
disposition  to  see  me  and  all  I  do  with  friendly  eyes.  But  a 
young  gal,  after  all,  must  wish  to  marry  a  man  that  is  nearer 
to  her  own  age  and  fancies,  than  to  have  one  old  enough  to 
be  her  father,  and  rude  enough  to  frighten  her.  I  wonder, 
Jasper,  that  Mabel  never  took  a  fancy  to  you,  now,  rather 
than  setting  her  mind  on  me  !  " 

"Take  a  fancy  to  me,  Pathfinder  !  "  returned  the  young 
man,  endeavoring  to  clear  his  voice  without  betraying  him- 
self, "  what  is  there  about  me  to  please  such  a  girl  as  Mabel 
Dunham  ?  I  have  all  that  you  find  fault  with  in  yourself, 
with  none  of  that  excellence  that  makes  even  the  generals 
respect  you. ' ' 

"Well,  well,  it's  all  chance,  say  what  we  will  about  it. 
Here  I  have  journeyed  and  guided  through  the  woods, 
female  after  female,  and  consorted  with  them  in  the  garri- 
sons, and  never  have  I  even  felt  an  inclination  for  any,  until 


Cbc 


I  saw  Mabel  Dunham.  It's  true  the  poor  sergeant  first  set 
me  to  thinking  abc»ut  his  daughter  ;  bat  after  we  got  a  tittle 
•ry^itrtMi  lite,  I'd  no  need  of  being  spoken  to,  to  think  of 
her  night  and  day.  I'm  tough.  Jasper;  yes,  I'm  very 
tocgh  :  mud  I  'in  risolnte  enough,  as  yon  all  know  ;  and  yet 
I  do  think  it  would  quite  break  me  down  now,  to  lose  Mabel 
Dunham  I  " 

"We  wOl  talk  no  more  of  it.  Pathfinder."  said  Jasper, 
i»f^Tmi^  his  friend's  squttjjt  of  the  hand,  and  moving  back 
io*aids  the  fire,  though  slowly,  and  in  the  manner  of  one 
who  cared  tittle  where  he  went  :  "  we  will  talk  no  more  of 
it.  You  are  worthy  of  Mabel,  and  Mabel  is  worthy  of  you  ; 
yon  like  Mabel,  and  Mabel  likes  you  ;  her  father  has  chosen 
yon  for  her  husband,  and  no  one  has  a  right  to  interfere. 
As  for  the  quartermaster,  his  feigning  love  for  Mabel  is 
worse  even  than  his  treason  to  the  king  !  " 

By  this  time  they  were  so  near  the  fire  that  it  was  neces- 
sary to  change  the  conversation.  Luckily,  at  that  iinliiaH, 
Cap.  who  had  been  in  the  block  in  company  with  his  dying 
brother-in-law,  and  who  knew  nothing  of  what  had  passed 
since  the  capitulation,  now  appeared,  walking  with  a  medi- 
tative and  melancholy  air  ton  aids  the  group.  Much  of  that 
hearty  dogmatism  that  imparted  even  to  his  ordinary  air 
and  demeanor  an  appearance  of  «*»»**hing  like  contempt  for 
an  around  him,  had  disappeared,  and  he  seemed  thoughtful 
if  v  -:  meek 

"  This  death,  gentlemen,"  he  said,  when  he  had  got  suffi- 
ciently near,  "  is  a  melancholy  >»»^i»*«^  make  the  best  of 
it.  Now.  here  is  Sergeant  Dunham,  a  very  good  soldier,  I 
«ake  no  question,  about  to  slip  his  cable,  and  yet  he  holds 
on  to  the  better-end  of  it,  as  if  he  was  determined  it  should 
never  ran  oat  of  the  hawse-hole  ;  •*•**  all  because  he  loves 
his  daughter,  it  seems  to  me.  For  my  part,  when  a  friend 
is  really  «nder  the  necessity  of  making  a  long  journey,  I 
always  wish  him  wefl  and  happily  off." 

"  You  would  n't  kin  the  sergeant  before  his  time  ?"  Path- 
finder leytoaAmPy  aus»md.  "  Life  is  sweet,  even  to  the 
aged  ;  and,  for  Oat  matter,  I  've  known  some  that  seemed 
store  by  it,  when  it  got  to  be  of  the  least  value." 


Nothing  had  been  further  from  Cap's  real  thoughts 
the  wish  to  hasten  his  brother-in-law's  end.  He  had  f 
himself  embarrassed  with  the  duties  of  smoothing  a  d' 
bed,  and  all  he  had  meant  was  to  express  a  sincere  d 
that  the  sergeant  were  happily  rid  of  doubt  and  suffe 
A  little  shocked,  therefore,  at  the  interpretation  that 
been  put  on  his  words,  he  rejoined,  with  some  of  the  a 
ity  of  the  man,  though  rebuked  by  a  consciousness  o: 
having  done  his  own  wishes  justice, — 

"  You  are  too  old  and  too  sensible  a  person,  Pathfinc 
he  said,  "  to  fetch  a  man  up  with  a  surge,  when  he  is  pa 
out  his  ideas  in  distress,  as  it  might  be.  Sergeant  Dur 
is  both  my  brother-in-law  and  my  friend, — that  is  to  sa 
intimate  a  friend  as  a  soldier  well  can  be  with  a  seaf; 
man,  and  I  respect  and  honor  him  accordingly.  I  mal 
doubt,  moreover,  that  he  has  lived  such  a  life  as  becor 
man,  and  there  can  be  no  great  harm,  after  all,  in  wi- 
any  one  well  berthed  in  heaven.  Well  !  we  are  mortal 
best  of  us,  that  you  '11  not  deny  :  and  it  ought  to  be  a  1< 
not  to  feel  pride  in  our  strength  and  beaut}*.  Where  i 
quartermaster,  Pathfinder?  It  is  proper  he  should  ' 
and  have  a  parting  word  with  the  poor  sergeant,  who  is 
going  a  little  before  us." 

' '  You  have  spoken  more  truth.  Master  Cap,  than  yo 
been  knowing  to,  all  this  time  ;  in  which  there  is  no  ; 
wonder,  howsoever  ;  mankind  as  often  telling  biting  t 
when  they  least  mean  it,  as  at  any  other  time.  You  E 
have  gone  further,  notwithstanding,  and  said  that  w< 
mortal,  the  worst  of  us,  which  is  quite  as  true,  and  a 
deal  more  wholesome  than  saying  that  we  are  mortal 
best  of  us.  As  for  the  quartermaster's  coming  to  spe 
parting  word  to  the  sergeant,  it  is  quite  out  of  the  ques 
seeing  that  he  has  gone  ahead,  and  that  too  with  little 
ing  notice  to  himself,  or  to  any  one  else." 

' '  You  are  not  quite  as  clear  as  common  in  your  langi 
Pathfinder.  I  know  that  we  ought  all  to  have  so 
thoughts  on  these  occasions,  but  I  see  no  use  in  speak± 
parables." 

"  If  my  words  are  not  plain,  the  idee  is.     In  short, 


456  tTbe  patbfinfcer 


I  saw  Mabel  Dunham.  It's  true  the  poor  sergeant  first  set 
me  to  thinking  about  his  daughter  ;  but  after  we  got  a  little 
acquainted  like,  I  'd  no  need  of  being  spoken  to,  to  think  of 
her  night  and  day.  I  'm  tough,  Jasper  ;  yes,  I  'ni  very 
tough  ;  and  I  'm  risolute  enough,  as  you  all  know  ;  and  yet 
I  do  think  it  would  quite  break  me  down  now,  to  lose  Mabel 
Dunham ! ' ' 

"We  will  talk  no  more  of  it,  Pathfinder,"  said  Jasper, 
returning  his  friend's  squeeze  of  the  hand,  and  moving  back 
towards  the  fire,  though  slowly,  and  in  the  manner  of  one 
who  cared  little  where  he  went ;  ' '  we  will  talk  no  more  of 
it.  You  are  worthy  of  Mabel,  and  Mabel  is  worthy  of  you  ; 
you  like  Mabel,  and  Mabel  likes  you  ;  her  father  has  chosen 
you  for  her  husband,  and  no  one  has  a  right  to  interfere. 
As  for  the  quartermaster,  his  feigning  love  for  Mabel  is 
worse  even  than  his  treason  to  the  king  ! ' ' 

By  this  time  they  were  so  near  the  fire  that  it  was  neces- 
sary to  change  the  conversation.  Luckily,  at  that  instant, 
Cap,  who  had  been  in  the  block  in  company  with  his  dying 
brother-in-law,  and  who  knew  nothing  of  what  had  passed 
since  the  capitulation,  now  appeared,  walking  with  a  medi- 
tative and  melancholy  air  towards  the  group.  Much  of  that 
hearty  dogmatism  that  imparted  even  to  his  ordinary  air 
and  demeanor  an  appearance  of  something  like  contempt  for 
all  around  him,  had  disappeared,  and  he  seemed  thoughtful, 
if  not  meek. 

"This  death,  gentlemen,"  he  said,  when  he  had  got  suffi- 
ciently near,  "  is  a  melancholy  business,  make  the  best  of 
it.  Now,  here  is  Sergeant  Dunham,  a  very  good  soldier,  I 
make  no  question,  about  to  slip  his  cable,  and  yet  he  holds 
on  to  the  better-end  of  it,  as  if  he  was  determined  it  should 
never  run  out  of  the  hawse-hole  ;  and  all  because  he  loves 
his  daughter,  it  seems  to  me.  For  my  part,  when  a  friend 
is  really  under  the  necessity  of  making  a  long  journey,  I 
always  wish  him  well  and  happily  off." 

"  You  would  n't  kill  the  sergeant  before  his  time  ?  "  Path- 
finder reproachfully  answered.  "  I^ife  is  sweet,  even  to  the 
aged  ;  and,  for  that  matter,  I  've  known  some  that  seemed 
to  set  much  store  by  it,  when  it  got  to  be  of  the  least  value." 


ZTbe  patbtinfcer  457 


Nothing  had  been  further  from  Cap's  real  thoughts  than 
the  wish  to  hasten  his  brother-in-law's  end.  He  had  found 
himself  embarrassed  with  the  duties  of  smoothing  a  death- 
bed, and  all  he  had  meant  was  to  express  a  sincere  desire 
that  the  sergeant  were  happily  rid  of  doubt  and  suffering. 
A  little  shocked,  therefore,  at  the  interpretation  that  had 
been  put  on  his  words,  he  rejoined,  with  some  of  the  asper- 
ity of  the  man,  though  rebuked  by  a  consciousness  of  not 
having  done  his  own  wishes  justice, — 

"  You  are  too  old  and  too  sensible  a  person,  Pathfinder," 
he  said,  ' '  to  fetch  a  man  up  with  a  surge,  when  he  is  paying 
out  his  ideas  in  distress,  as  it  might  be.  Sergeant  Dunham 
is  both  my  brother-in-law  and  my  friend, — that  is  to  say,  as 
intimate  a  friend  as  a  soldier  well  can  be  with  a  seafaring 
man,  and  I  respect  and  honor  him  accordingly.  I  make  no 
doubt,  moreover,  that  he  has  lived  such  a  life  as  becomes  a 
man,  and  there  can  be  no  great  harm,  after  all,  in  wishing 
any  one  well  berthed  in  heaven.  Well  !  we  are  mortal,  the 
best  of  us,  that  you  '11  not  deny  ;  and  it  ought  to  be  a  lesson 
not  to  feel  pride  in  our  strength  and  beauty.  Where  is  the 
quartermaster,  Pathfinder?  It  is  proper  he  should  come 
and  have  a  parting  word  with  the  poor  sergeant,  who  is  only 
going  a  little  before  us." 

"  You  have  spoken  more  truth,  Master  Cap,  than  you  've 
been  knowing  to,  all  this  time  ;  in  which  there  is  no  great 
wonder,  howsoever ;  mankind  as  often  telling  biting  truths 
when  they  least  mean  it,  as  at  any  other  time.  You  might 
have  gone  further,  notwithstanding,  and  said  that  we  are 
mortal,  the  worst  of  us,  which  is  quite  as  true,  and  a  good 
deal  more  wholesome  than  saying  that  we  are  mortal,  the 
best  of  us.  As  for  the  quartermaster's  coming  to  speak  a 
parting  word  to  the  sergeant,  it  is  quite  out  of  the  question, 
seeing  that  he  has  gone  ahead,  and  that  too  with  little  part- 
ing notice  to  himself,  or  to  any  one  else." 

' '  You  are  not  quite  as  clear  as  common  in  your  language, 
Pathfinder.  I  know  that  we  ought  all  to  have  solemn 
thoughts  on  these  occasions,  but  I  see  no  use  in  speaking  in 
parables. ' ' 

"  If  my  words  are  not  plain,  the  idee  is.     In  short,  Mas- 


46o  Ube  jpatbffnfcer 


stand  in  the  inimy's  territory,  by  position,  if  not  by  law, 
and  must  not  be  left  for  their  convenience.  Our  using 
them  again  is  out  of  the  question ;  for  now  the  Frenchers 
know  where  the  island  is  to  be  found,  it  would  be  like, 
thrusting  the  hand  into  a  wolf-trap,  with  our  eyes  wide 
open.  This  part  of  the  work,  the  Sarpent  and  I  will  see 
to  ;  for  we  are  as  practysed  in  retreats  as  in  advances. ' ' 

"All  that  is  very  well,  my  good  friend  ;  and  now  for  my 
poor  brother-in-law  :  though  he  is  a  soldier  we  cannot  let 
him  slip  without  a  word  of  consolation,  and  a  leave-taking, 
in  my  judgment.  This  has  been  an  unlucky  affair,  on 
every  tack  ;  though  I  suppose  it  is  what  one  had  a  right  to 
expect,  considering  the  state  of  the  times,  and  the  nature 
of  the  navigation.  We  must  make  the  best  of  it,  and  try 
to  help  the  worthy  man  to  unmoor,  without  straining  his 
messengers.  Death  is  a  circumstance,  after  all,  Master 
Pathfinder,  and  one  of  a  very  general  character,  too,  seeing 
that  we  must  all  submit  to  it,  sooner  or  later." 

' '  You  say  truth,  you  say  truth  ;  and  for  that  reason  I 
hold  it  to  be  wise  to  be  always  ready.  I  've  often  thought, 
Salt-water,  that  he  is  happiest  who  has  the  least  to  leave 
behind  him  when  the  summons  comes.  Now,  here  am  I,  a 
hunter  and  a  scout,  and  a  guide,  although  I  do  not  own  a 
foot  of  land  on  'arth,  yet  do  I  enjoy  and  possess  more  than 
the  great  Albany  Patroon.  With  the  heavens  over  my 
head  to  keep  me  in  mind  of  the  last  great  hunt,  and  the 
dried  leaves  beneath  my  feet,  I  tramp  over  the  ground  as 
freely  as  if  I  was  its  lord  and  owner  ;  and  what  more  need 
heart  desire  ?  I  do  not  say  that  I  love  nothing  that  belongs 
to  'arth  ;  for  I  do,  although  not  much,  unless  it  might  be 
Mabel  Dunham,  that  I  can't  carry  with  me.  I  have  some 
pups  at  the  higher  fort,  that  I  valy  considerable,  though 
they  are  too  noisy  for  warfare,  and  so  we  are  compelled  to 
live  separate  for  a  while  ;  and  then,  I  think,  it  would  grieve 
me  to  part  with  Killdeer ;  but  I  see  no  reason  why  we 
should  not  be  buried  in  the  same  grave,  for  we  are,  as  near 
as  can  be,  of  the  same  length— six  feet,  to  a  hair's  breadth  ; 
but,  bating  these,  and  a  pipe  that  the  Sarpent  gave  me, 
and  a  few  tokens  received  from  travellers,  all  of  which 


jpatbfinfcer  461 


might  be  put  in  a  pouch,  and  laid  under  my  head,  when  the 
order  comes  to  march,  I  shall  be  ready  at  a  minute's  warn- 
ing ;  and,  let  me  tell  you,  Master  Cap,  that 's  what  I  call  a 
circumstance,  too." 

"  'Tis  just  so  with  me,"  answered  the  sailor,  as  the  two 
walked  towards  the  block,  too  much  occupied  with  their 
respective  morality  to  remember,  at  the  moment,  the  melan- 
choly errand  they  were  on,  "  that  's  just  my  way  of  feeling 
and  reasoning.  How  often  have  I  felt,  when  near  ship- 
wreck, the  relief  of  not  owning  the  craft  !  '  If  she  goes,'  I 
have  said  to  myself,  '  why,  my  life  goes  with  her,  but  not 
my  property,  and  there  's  great  comfort  in  that.'  I  've 
discovered  in  the  course  of  boxing  about  the  world,  from 
the  Horn  to  Cape  North,  not  to  speak  of  this  run  on  a  bit 
of  fresh  water,  that  if  a  man  has  a  few  dollars,  and  puts  them 
in  a  chest  under  lock  and  key,  he  is  pretty  certain  to  fasten 
up  his  heart  in  the  same  till ;  and  so  I  carry  pretty  much 
all  I  own  in  a  belt  round  my  body,  in  order,  as  I  say,  to 

keep  the  vitals  in  the  right  place.  D e,  Pathfinder,  if  I 

think  a  man  without  a  heart  any  better  than  a  fish  with  a 
hole  in  his  air-bag. ' ' 

"I  don't  know  how  that  may  be,  Master  Cap,  but  a  man 
without  a  conscience  is  but  a  poor  creatur' ,  take  my  word 
for  it,  as  any  one  will  discover  who  has  to  do  with  a  Mingo. 
I  trouble  myself  but  little  with  dollars  or  half-joes,  for  these 
are  the  favoryte  coin  in  this  part  of  the  world  ;  but  I  can 
easily  believe  by  what  I  've  seen  of  mankind,  that  if  a  man 
has  a  chest  filled  with  either,  he  may  be  said  to  lock  up  his 
heart  in  the  same  box.  I  once  hunted  for  two  summers 
during  the  last  peace,  and  I  collected  so  much  peltry  that  I 
found  my  right  feelings  giving  way  to  a  craving  after 
property ;  and  if  I  have  consarn  in  marrying  Mabel,  it  is 
that  I  may  get  to  love  such  things  too  well,  in  order  to  make 
her  comfortable. ' ' 

"You  're  a  philosopher,  that  's  clear,  Pathfinder;  and  I 
don't  know  but  you  're  a  Christian  !  " 

' '  I  should  be  out  of  humor  with  the  man  that  gainsayed 
the  last,  Master  Cap.  I  have  not  been  Christianized  by  the 
Moravians,  like  so  many  of  the  Delawares,  it  is  true :  but 


462  TCbe  ipatbtfn&er 


I  hold  to  Christianity  and  white  gifts.  With  me  it  is  as 
oncreditable  for  a  white  man  not  to  be  a  Christian,  as  it  is 
for  a  redskin  not  to  believe  in  his  happy  hunting-grounds  ; 
indeed,  after  allowing  for  difference  in  traditions,  and  some 
variations  about  the  manner  in  which  the  spirit  will  be 
occupied  after  death,  I  hold  that  a  good  Delaware  is  a  good 
Christian,  though  he  never  saw  a  Moravian  ;  and  a  good 
Christian  a  good  Delaware,  so  far  as  natur'  is  consarned. 
The  Sarpent  and  I  talk  these  matters  over  often,  for  he  has 
a  hankerin'  after  Christianity — " 

"The  d 1  he  has!"  interrupted  Cap.  "And  what 

does  he  intend  to  do  in  a  church,  with  all  the  scalps  he 
takes?" 

"Don't  run  away  with  a  false  idee,  friend  Cap;  don't 
run  away  with  a  false  idee.  These  things  are  only  skin- 
deep,  and  all  depend  on  edication  and  nat'ral  gifts.  Look 
around  you  at  mankind,  and  tell  me  why  you  see  a  red 
warrior  here,  a  black  one  there,  and  white  armies  in  an- 
other place  ?  All  this,  and  a  great  deal  more  of  the  same 
kind  that  I  could  point  out,  has  been  ordered  for  some 
'special  purpose ;  and  it  is  not  for  us  to  fly  in  the  face  of 
facts  and  deny  their  truth.  No,  no  ;  each  color  has  its  gifts, 
and  its  laws,  and  its  traditions  ;  and  one  is  not  to  condemn 
another  because  he  does  not  exactly  comprehend  it." 

"You  must  have  read  a  great  deal,  Pathfinder,  to  see 
things  as  clear  as  this,"  returned  Cap,  who  was  not  a  little 
mystified  by  his  companion's  simple  creed.  "It's  all  as 
plain  as  day  to  me  now,  though  I  must  say  I  never  fell  in 
with  these  opinions  before.  What  denomination  do  you 
belong  to,  my  friend  ?  ' ' 

"  Anan?" 

' '  What  sect  do  you  hold  out  for  ?  What  particular  church 
do  you  fetch  up  in?" 

"  Look  about  you,  and  judge  for  yourself.  I  'm  in  church 
now ;  I  eat  in  church,  drink  in  church,  sleep  in  church. 
The  'arth  is  the  temple  of  the  Lord,  and  I  wait  on  Him 
hourly,  daily,  without  ceasing,  I  humbly  hope.  No,  no; 
I  '11  not  deny  my  blood  and  color,  but  am  Christian  born, 
and  shall  die  in  the  same  faith.  The  Moravians  tried  me 


TTbe  jpatbfinfcer  463 


hard  ;  and  one  of  the  king's  chaplains  has  had  his  say,  too, 
though  that  's  a  class  no  ways  strenuous  on  such  matters, 
and  a  missionary  sent  from  Rome  talked  much  with  me  as 
I  guided  him  through  the  forest  during  the  last  peace  ;  but 
I  've  had  one  answer  for  them  all ;  I  'm  a  Christian  already, 
and  want  to  be  neither  Moravian,  nor  Churchman,  nor  Pa- 
pist. No,  no  ;  I  '11  not  deny  my  birth  and  blood." 

"  I  think  a  word  from  you  might  lighten  the  sergeant  over 
the  shoals  of  death,  Master  Pathfinder.  He  has  no  one 
with  him  but  poor  Mabel,  and  she,  you  know,  besides  being 
his  daughter,  is  but  a  girl  and  a  child  after  all. ' ' 

"  Mabel  is  feeble  in  body,  friend  Cap,  but  in  matters  of 
this  natur',  I  doubt  if  she  may  not  be  stronger  than  most 
men.  But  Sergeant  Dunham  is  my  friend,  and  he  is  your 
brother-in-law  ;  so  now  the  press  of  fighting  and  maintain- 
ing  our  rights  is  over,  it  is  fitting  we  should  both  go  and 
witness  his  departure.  I  've  stood  by  many  a  dying  man, 
Master  Cap,"  continued  Pathfinder,  who  had  a  besetting  pro- 
pensity to  enlarge  on  his  experience,  stopping  and  holding 
his  companion  by  a  button  ;  "  I  've  stood  by  many  a  dying 
man's  side,  and  seen  his  last  gasp,  and  heard  his  last 
breath ;  for  when  the  hurry  and  tumult  of  the  battle  is 
over,  it  is  good  to  bethink  us  of  the  misfortunate,  and  it  is 
remarkable  to  witness  how  differently  human  natur'  feels  at 
such  solemn  moments.  Some  go  their  way  as  stupid  and 
ignorant  as  if  God  had  never  given  them  reason,  and  an  ac- 
countable state  ;  while  others  quit  us  rejoicing,  like  men  who 
leave  heavy  burdens  behind  them.  I  think  that  the  mind 
sees  clearly  at  such  moments,  my  friend,  and  that  past  deeds 
stand  thick  before  the  recollection." 

"I'll  engage  they  do,  Pathfinder.  I  have  witnessed 
something  of  this  myself,  and  hope  I  'm  the  better  man  for 
it.  I  remember  once  that  I  thought  my  own  time  had  come, 
and  the  log  was  overhauled  with  a  diligence  I  did  not  think 
myself  capable  of  until  that  moment.  I  've  not  been  a  very 
great  sinner,  friend  Pathfinder  ;  that  is  to  say,  never  on  a 
large  scale ;  though,  I  dare  say,  if  the  truth  were  spoken,  a 
considerable  amount  of  small  matters  might  be  raked  up 
against  me,  as  well  as  against  another  man  ;  but  then  I  've 


464  Ube  fltatbfinfcer 


never  committed  piracy,  nor  high  treason,  nor  arson,  nor 
any  of  them  sort  of  things.  As  to  smuggling,  and  the  like 
of  that,  why  I  'm  a  seafaring  man,  and  I  suppose  all  callings 
have  their  weak  spots.  I  dare  say  your  trade  is  not  altogether 
without  blemish,  honorable  and  useful  as  it  seems  to  be  ?  " 

"  Many  of  the  scouts  and  guides  are  desperate  knaves  ; 
and,  like  the  quartermaster  here,  some  of  them  take  pay  of 
both  sides.  I  hope  I  'm  not  one  of  them,  though  all  occupa- 
tions lead  to  temptations.  Thrice  have  I  been  sorely  tried  in 
my  life,  and  once  yielded  a  little,  though  I  hope  it  was  not 
in  a  matter  to  disturb  a  man's  conscience  in  his  last  moments. 
The  first  time  was  when  I  found  in  the  woods  a  pack 
of  skins  that  I  knowed  belonged  to  a  Frencher,  who  was 
hunting  on  our  side  of  the  lines,  where  he  had  no  business 
to  be;  twenty-six  as  handsome  beavers  as  ever  gladdened 
human  eyes  !  Well,  that  was  a  sore  temptation,  for  I  thought 
the  law  would  have  been  almost  with  me,  although  it  was 
in  peace  times.  But  then  I  remembered  that  such  laws 
was  n't  made  for  us  hunters,  and  bethought  me  that  the 
poor  man  might  have  built  great  expectations  for  the  next 
winter,  on  the  sale  of  his  skins  ;  and  I  left  them  where  they 
lay.  Most  of  our  people  said  I  did  wrong  ;  but  the  manner 
in  which  I  slept  that  night  convinced  me  that  I  had  done 
right.  The  next  trial  was  when  I  found  the  rifle,  that  is 
sartainly  the  only  one  in  this  part  of  the  world  that  can  be 
calculated  on  as  surely  as  Killdeer,  and  knowed  that  by  tak- 
ing it,  or  even  hiding  it,  I  might  at  once  rise  to  be  the  first 
shot  in  all  these  parts.  I  was  then  young,  and  by  no  means 
as  expart  as  I  have  since  got  to  be,  and  youth  is  ambitious 
and  striving ;  but,  God  be  praised  !  I  mastered  that  feel- 
ing ;  and,  friend  Cap,  what  is  almost  as  good,  I  mastered 
my  rival  in  as  fair  a  shooting-match  as  was  ever  witnessed 
in  a  garrison  ;  he  with  his  piece,  and  I  with  Killdeer,  and 
before  the  general  in  person,  too !  "  Here  Pathfinder 
stopped  to  laugh,  his  triumph  still  glittering  in  his  eyes, 
and  glowing  on  his  sunburnt  and  browned  cheek.  "Well, 
the  next  conflict  with  the  devil  was  the  hardest  of  them  all, 
and  that  when  I  came  suddenly  upon  a  camp  of  six  Mingos, 
asleep  in  the  woods,  with  their  guns  and  horns  piled  in  a 


465 


way  that  enabled  me  to  get  possession  of  them  without 
waking  a  miscreant  of  them  all.  What  an  opportunity  that 
would  have  been  for  the  Sarpent,  who  would  have  des- 
patched them,  one  after  another,  with  his  knife,  and  had 
their  six  scalps  at  his  girdle  in  about  the  time  it  takes  me 
to  tell  you  the  story.  O  !  he  's  a  valiant  warrior,  that 
Chingachgook,  and  as  honest  as  he  's  brave,  and  as  good 
as  he  's  honest  !  " 

"  And  what  may  you  have  done  in  this  matter,  Master 
Pathfinder  ? ' '  demanded  Cap,  who  began  to  be  interested 
in  the  result ;  "it  seems  to  me  you  had  made  either  a  very 
lucky  or  a  very  unlucky  land-fall." 

'  'T  was  lucky,  and  'twas  unlucky,  if  you  can  understand 
that.  'T  was  unlucky,  for  it  proved  a  desperate  trial ;  and 
yet 'twas  lucky,  all  things  considered,  in  the  ind.  I  did 
not  touch  a  hair  of  their  heads,  for  a  white  man  has  no 
riat'ral  gifts  to  take  scalps  ;  nor  did  I  even  make  sure  of  one 
of  their  rifles.  I  distrusted  myself,  knowing  that  a  Mingo 
is  no  favorite  in  my  own  eyes." 

"As  for  the  scalps,  I  think  you  were  right  enough,  my 
worthy  friend  ;  but  as  for  the  armament  and  the  stores, 
they  would  have  been  condemned  by  any  prize-court  in 
Christendom  !  " 

' '  That  they  would — that  they  would  ;  but  then  the  Min- 
gos  would  have  gone  clear,  seeing  that  a  white  man  can  no 
more  attack  an  unarmed,  than  a  sleeping  inimy.  No,  no  ; 
I  did  myself,  and  my  color,  and  my  religion,  too,  greater 
justice.  I  waited  till  their  nap  was  over,  and  they  well  on 
their  war-path  again  ;  and  by  ambushing  them  here,  and 
flanking  them  there,  I  peppered  the  blackguards  intrinsic- 
ally, like,"  Pathfinder  occasionally  caught  a  fine  word  from 
his  associates,  and  used  it  a  little  vaguely,  "that  only  one 
ever  got  back  to  his  village  ;  and  he  came  into  his  wigwam, 
limping.  Luckily,  as  it  turned  out,  the  great  Delaware  had 
only  halted  to  jerk  some  venison,  and  was  following  on  my 
trail  ;  and  when  he  got  up,  he  had  five  of  the  scoundrel's 
scalps  hanging  where  they  ought  to  be  ;  so  you  see  nothing 
was  lost  by  doing  right,  either  in  the  way  of  honor  or  in 
that  of  profit." 


466 


Ube 


Cap  grunted  an  assent,  though  the  distinctions  in  his  com- 
panion's morality,  it  must  be  owned,  were  not  exactly  clear 
to  his  understanding.  The  two  had  occasionally  moved 
towards  the  block  as  they  conversed,  and  then  stopped 
again,  as  some  matter  of  more  interest  than  common  brought 
them  to  a  halt.  They  were  now  so  near  the  building, 
however,  that  neither  thought  of  pursuing  the  subject  any 
further  ;  but  each  prepared  himself  for  the  final  scene  with 
Sergeant  Dunham. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

1  Thou  barraine  ground,  whom  winter's  wrath  hath  wasted, 
Art  made  a  mirror  to  behold  my  plight : 
Whil'ome  thy  fresh  spring  flower'd  ;  and  after  hasted 
Thy  summer  proude,  with  daffodillies  dight ; 
And  now  is  come  thy  winter's  stormy  state, 
Thy  mantle  mar'd  wherein  thou  maskedst  late." 


AI/THOUGH  the  soldier  may  regard  danger,  and 
even  death,  with  indifference,  in  the  tumult  of 
battle,  when  the  passage  of  the  soul  is  de- 
layed to  moments  of  tranquillity  and  reflection, 
the  change  commonly  brings  with  it  the  usual  train 
of  solemn  reflections ;  of  regrets  for  the  past ;  and  of 
doubts  and  anticipations  for  the  future.  Many  a  man  has 
died  with  an  heroic  expression  on  his  lips,  but  with  heavi- 
ness and  distrust  at  his  heart ;  for,  whatever  may  be  the 
varieties  of  our  religious  creeds — let  us  depend  on  the 
mediation  of  Christ,  the  dogmas  of  Mohammed,  or  the  elab- 
orated allegories  of  the  East — there  is  a  conviction,  com- 
mon to  all  men,  that  death  is  but  the  stepping-stone  between 
this  and  a  more  elevated  state  of  being.  Sergeant  Dunham 
was  a  brave  man  ;  but  he  was  departing  for  a  country  in 
which  resolution  could  avail  him  nothing  :  and  as  he  felt 
himself  gradually  loosened  from  the  grasp  of  the  world,  his 
thoughts  and  feelings  took  the  natural  direction  ;  for,  if  it 
be  true  that  death  is  the  great  leveller,  in  nothing  is  it  more 
true,  than  that  it  reduces  all  to  the  same  views  of  the  vanity 
of  life. 

Pathfinder,  though  a  man  of  quaint  and  peculiar  habits 
and  opinions,  was  always  thoughtful,  and  disposed  to  view 
467 


468  tlbe  patbfittoer 


the  things  around  him  with  a  shade  of  philosophy,  as  well 
as  with  seriousness.  In  him  therefore  the  scene  in  the 
block-house  awakened  no  very  novel  feelings ;  but  the  case 
was  different  with  Cap.  Rude,  opinionated,  dogmatical,  and 
boisterous,  the  old  sailor  was  little  accustomed  to  view  even 
death,  with  any  approach  to  the  gravity  that  its  importance 
demands  ;  and,  notwithstanding  all  that  had  passed,  and  his 
real  regard  for  his  brother-in-law,  he  now  entered  the  room 
of  the  dying  man,  with  much  of  that  callous  unconcern 
which  was  the  fruit  of  long  training  in  a  school,  that,  while 
it  gives  so  many  lessons  in  the  sublimest  truths,  generally 
wastes  its  admonitions  on  scholars  who  are  little  disposed  to 
profit  by  them. 

The  first  proof  that  Cap  gave  of  his  not  entering  as  fully 
as  those  around  him  into  the  solemnity  of  the  moment,  was 
by  commencing  a  narration  of  the  events  which  had  just 
led  to  the  deaths  of  Muir  and  Arrowhead.  ' '  Both  tripped 
their  anchors  in  a  hurry,  brother  Dunham, ' '  he  concluded  ; 
"  and  you  have  the  consolation  of  knowing  that  others  have 
gone  before  you  in  the  great  journey,  and  they,  too,  men 
whom  you  've  no  particular  reason  to  love ;  which  to  me, 
were  I  placed  in  your  situation,  would  be  a  source  of  very 
great  satisfaction.  My  mother  always  said,  Master  Path- 
finder, that  dying  people's  spirits  should  not  be  damped,  but 
that  they  ought  to  be  encouraged  by  all  proper  and  prudent 
means  ;  and  this  news  will  give  the  poor  fellow  a  great  lift 
if  he  feels  towards  them  savages  any  way  as  I  feel  myself." 

June  arose  at  this  intelligence,  and  stole  from  the  block- 
house with  a  noiseless  step.  Dunham  listened  with  a  vacant 
stare,  for  life  had  already  lost  so  many  of  its  ties  that  he 
had  really  forgotten  Arrowhead,  and  cared  nothing  for 
Muir;  but  he  inquired  in  a  feeble  voice  for  Kau-douce. 
The  young  man  was  immediately  summoned,  and  soon  made 
his  appearance.  The  sergeant  gazed  at  him  kindly,  and 
the  expression  of  his  eyes  was  that  of  regret  for  the  injury 
he  had  done  him  in  thought.  The  party  in  the  block-house 
now  consisted  of  Pathfinder,  Cap,  Mabel,  Jasper,  and  the 
dying  man.  With  the  exception  of  the  daughter,  all  stood 
around  the  sergeant's  pallet  in  attendance  on  his  last  mo- 


TTbe  ipatbffnfcer  469 


ments.  Mabel  kneeled  at  his  side,  now  pressing  a  clammy 
hand  to  her  head,  now  applying  moisture  to  the  parched 
lips  of  her  father. 

"Your  case  will  shortly  be  our'n,  sergeant,"  said  Path- 
finder, who  could  hardly  be  said  to  be  awe-struck  by  the 
scene,  for  he  had  witnessed  the  approach  and  victories  of 
death  too  often  for  that ;  but  who  felt  the  full  difference 
between  his  triumphs  in  the  excitement  of  battle  and  in 
the  quiet  of  the  domestic  circle  ;  ' '  and  I  make  no  ques- 
tion we  shall  meet  ag'in  hereafter.  Arrowhead  has  gone 
his  way,  't  is  true  ;  but  it  can  never  be  the  way  of  a  just 
Indian.  You  've  seen  the  last  of  him  :  for  his  path  cannot 
be  the  path  of  the  just.  Reason  is  agin  the  thought,  in  his 
case,  as  it  is  also  in  my  judgment  agin  it,  too,  in  the  case  of 
lieutenant  Muir.  You  have  done  your  duty  in  life ;  and 
when  a  man  does  that,  he  may  start  on  the  longest  journey 
with  a  light  heart  and  an  acty  ve  foot. ' ' 

"  I  hope  so,  my  friend  ;  I  've  tried  to  do  my  duty." 

"  Ay,  ay,"  put  in  Cap,  "  intention  is  half  the  battle  ;  and 
though  you  would  have  done  better  had  you  hove-to  in  the 
offing  and  sent  a  craft  in  to  feel  how  the  land  lay,  things 
might  have  turned  out  differently  ;  no  one  here  doubts  that 
you  meant  all  for  the  best,  and  no  one  anywhere  else  I 
should  think,  from  what  I  've  seen  of  this  world  and  read 
oft'  other." 

"  I  did  ;  yes,  I  meant  all  for  the  best." 

"  Father  !     O  !  my  beloved  father  !  " 

' '  Magnet  is  taken  aback  by  this  blow,  Master  Pathfinder, 
and  can  say  or  do  but  little  to  carry  her  father  over  the  shoals ; 
so  we  must  try  all  the  harder  to  serve  him  a  friendly  turn 
ourselves. ' ' 

"Did  you  speak,  Mabel?"  Dunham  asked,  turning  his 
eyes  in  the  direction  of  his  daughter,  for  he  was  already  too 
feeble  to  turn  his  body. 

' '  Yes,  father ;  rely  on  nothing  you  have  done  yourself, 
for  mercy  and  salvation;  trust  altogether  in  the  blessed 
mediation  of  the  Son  of  God  ! ' ' 

"The  chaplain  has  told  us  something  like  this,  brother  ; 
the  dear  child  may  be  right." 


470  Ube  jpatbfinfcer 


"Ay,  ay;  that  's  doctrine  out  of  question.  He  will  be 
our  Judge,  and  keeps  the  log-book  of  our  acts,  and  will  foot 
them  all  up  at  the  last  day,  and  then  say  who  has  done  well 
and  who  has  done  ill.  I  do  believe  Mabel  is  right,  but  then 
you  need  not  be  concerned,  as  no  doubt  the  account  has 
been  fairly  kept. ' ' 

"  Uncle  !  dearest  father  !  This  is  a  vain  illusion.  Oh, 
place  all  your  trust  in  the  mediation  of  our  holy  Redeemer  ! 
Have  you  not  often  felt  your  own  insufficiency  to  effect  your 
own  wishes  in  the  commonest  things,  and  how  can  you 
imagine  yourself,  by  your  own  acts,  equal  to  raise  up  a  frail 
and  sinful  nature  sufficiently  to  be  received  into  the  presence 
of  perfect  purity  ?  There  is  no  hope  for  any,  but  in  the 
mediation  of  Christ ! ' ' 

"This  is  what  the  Moravians  used  to  tell  us,"  said  Path- 
finder to  Cap,  in  a  low  voice  ;  "  Mabel  is  right." 

"  Right  enough,  friend  Pathfinder,  in  the  distances,  but 
wrong  in  the  course.  I  'm  afraid  the  child  will  get  the  ser- 
geant adrift,  at  the  very  moment  when  we  had  him  in  the 
best  of  the  water,  and  in  the  plainest  part  of  the  channel." 

"  L,eave  it  to  Mabel — leave  it  to  Mabel ;  she  knows  better 
than  any  of  us,  and  can  do  no  harm." 

"  I  have  heard  this  before,"  Dunham  at  length  replied. 
"  Ah  !  Mabel ;  it  is  strange  for  the  parent  to  lean  on  the 
child  at  a  moment  like  this." 

"  Put  your  trust  in  God,  father  ;  lean  on  his  holy  and  com- 
passionate Son.  Pray,  dearest,  dearest  father ;  pray  for  his 
omnipotent  support." 

"  I  am  not  used  to  prayer ;  brother — Pathfinder— Jasper, 
can  you  help  me  with  words  ?  ' ' 

Cap  scarce  knew  what  prayer  meant,  and  he  had  no 
answer  to  give.  Pathfinder  prayed  often,  daily  if  not  hourly  ; 
but  it  was  mentally,  in  his  own  simple  modes  of  thinking 
and  without  the  aid  of  words  at  all.  In  this  strait,  therefore, 
he  was  as  useless  as  the  mariner,  and  had  no  reply  to  make. 
As  for  Jasper  Bau-douce,  though  he  would  gladly  have 
endeavored  to  move  a  mountain  to  relieve  Mabel,  this  was 
asking  assistance  it  exceeded  his  power  to  give ;  and  he 
shrank  back  with  the  shame  that  is  only  too  apt  to  overcome 


ZTbe  patbfinfcer  471 


the  young  and  vigorous,  when  called  on  to  perform  an  act 
that  tacitly  confesses  their  real  weakness  and  dependence  on 
a  superior  power. 

"Father,"  said  Mabel,  wiping  her  eyes,  and  endeavoring 
to  compose  features  that  were  pallid,  and  actually  quivering 
with  emotion,  "  /  will  pray  with  you— for  you  ;  for  myself, 
for  us  all.  The  petition  of  the  feeblest  and  humblest  is 
never  unheeded." 

There  was  something  sublime,  as  well  as  much  that  was 
supremely  touching,  in  this  act  of  filial  piety.  The  quiet, 
but  earnest  manner  in  which  this  young  creature  prepared 
herself  to  perform  the  duty  ;  the  self-abandonment  with 
which  she  forgot  her  sex's  timidity  and  sex's  shame,  in 
order  to  sustain  her  parent  at  that  trying  moment  ;  the 
loftiness  of  purpose  with  which  she  directed  all  her  powers 
to  the  immense  object  before  her,  with  a  woman's  devotion, 
and  a  woman's  superiority  to  trifles,  when  her  affections 
make  the  appeal  ;  and  the  holy  calm  into  which  her  grief  was 
compressed,  rendered  her,  for  the  moment,  an  object  of 
something  very  like  awe  and  veneration  to  her  companions. 

Mabel  had  been  religiously  and  reasonably  educated; 
equally  without  exaggeration  and  without  self-sufficiency. 
Her  reliance  on  God  was  cheerful  and  full  of  hope,  while  it 
was  of  the  humblest  and  most  dependent  nature.  She  had 
been  accustomed  from  childhood  to  address  herself  to  the 
Deity,  in  prayer  ;  taking  example  from  the  divine  mandate 
of  Christ  himself,  who  commanded  his  followers  to  abstain 
from  vain  repetitions,  and  who  has  left  behind  Him  a  peti- 
tion that  is  unequalled  for  sublimity  and  sententiousness,  as 
if  expressly  to  rebuke  the  disposition  of  man  to  set  up  his 
own  loose  and  random  thoughts  as  the  most  acceptable 
sacrifice.  The  sect  in  which  she  had  been  reared,  has  fur- 
nished to  its  followers  some  of  the  most  beautiful  composi- 
tions of  the  language,  as  a  suitable  vehicle  for  its  devotion 
and  solicitations.  Accustomed  to  this  mode  of  public  and 
ev^en  private  prayer,  the  mind  of  our  heroine  had  naturally 
fallen  into  its  train  of  lofty  thought  ;  her  taste  had  become 
improved  by  its  study,  and  her  language  elevated  and 
enriched  by  its  phrases.  In  short,  Mabel,  in  this  respect, 


472  Ube 


was  an  instance  of  the  influence  and  familiarity  with  pro- 
priety of  thought,  fitness  of  language,  and  decorum  of  manner, 
on  the  habits  and  expressions  of  even  those  who  might  be 
supposed  not  to  be  always  so  susceptible  of  receiving  high 
impressions  of  this  nature.  When  she  kneeled  at  the  bedside 
of  her  father,  the  very  reverence  of  her  attitude  and  manner 
prepared  the  spectators  for  what  was  to  come ;  and  as  her 
affectionate  heart  prompted  her  tongue,  and  memory  came 
in  aid  of  both,  the  petition  and  praises  that  she  offered  up 
were  of  a  character  that  might  have  worthily  led  the  spirits 
of  angels.  Although  the  words  were  not  slavishly  borrowed, 
the  expressions  partook  of  the  simple  dignity  of  the  liturgy 
to  which  she  had  been  accustomed,  and  were  probably  as 
worthy  of  the  being  to  whom  they  were  addressed  as  they 
could  well  be  made  by  human  powers.  They  produced 
their  full  impression  on  the  hearers  ;  for  it  is  worthy  of 
remark  that,  notwithstanding  the  pernicious  effects  of  a 
false  taste  when  long  submitted  to,  real  sublimity  and  beauty 
are  so  closely  allied  to  nature,  that  they  generally  find  an 
echo  in  every  heart. 

But  when  our  heroine  came  to  touch  upon  the  situation  of 
the  dying  man,  she  became  the  most  truly  persuasive,  for 
then  she  was  the  most  truly  zealous  and  natural.  The 
beauty  of  the  language  was  preserved,  but  it  was  sustained 
by  the  simple  power  of  love  ;  and  her  words  were  warmed 
by  a  holy  zeal,  that  approached  to  the  grandeur  of  true  elo- 
quence. We  might  record  some  of  her  expressions,  but 
doubt  the  propriety  of  subjecting  such  sacred  themes  to  a 
too  familiar  analysis,  and  refrain. 

The  effect  of  this  singular  but  solemn  scene  was  different 
on  the  different  individuals  present.  Dunham  himself  was 
soon  lost  in  the  subject  of  the  prayer  ;  and  he  felt  some  such 
relief  as  one  who  finds  himself  staggering  on  the  edge  of  a 
precipice  under  a  burden  difficult  to  be  borne,  might  be  sup- 
posed to  experience,  when  he  unexpectedly  feels  the  weight 
removed,  in  order  to  be  placed  on  the  shoulders  of  another 
better  able  to  sustain  it.  Cap  was  surprised,  as  well  as  awed  ; 
though  the  effects  on  his  mind  were  not  very  deep  or  very 
lasting.  He  wondered  a  little  at  his  own  sensations,  and 


TTbe  jpatbfinfcer  473 


had  his  doubts  whether  they  were  as  manly  and  heroic  as 
they  ought  to  be  ;  but  he  was  far  too  sensible  of  the  influence 
of  truth,  humility,  religious  submission,  and  human  depend- 
ency, to  think  of  interposing  with  any  of  his  crude  objections. 
Jasper  knelt  opposite  to  Mabel,  covered  his  face,  and  fol- 
lowed her  words,  with  an  earnest  wish  to  aid  her  prayers 
with  his  own  ;  though  it  may  be  questioned  if  his  thoughts 
did  not  dwell  quite  as  much  on  the  soft,  gentle  accents  of 
the  petitioner,  as  on  the  subject  of  her  petition. 

The  effect  on  Pathfinder  was  striking  and  visible  ;  visible, 
because  he  stood  erect,  also  opposite  to  Mabel ;  and  the  work- 
ings of  his  countenance,  as  usual,  betrayed  the  workings  of  the 
spirit  within.  He  leaned  on  his  rifle,  and,  at  moments,  the 
sinewy  fingers  grasped  the  barrel  with  a  force  that  seemed 
to  compress  the  weapon  ;  while  once  or  twice,  as  Mabel's 
language  rose  in  intimate  association  with  her  thoughts,  he 
lifted  his  eyes  to  the  floor  above  him,  as  if  he  expected  to 
find  some  visible  evidence  of  the  presence  of  the  dread 
Being  to  whom  the  words  were  addressed.  Then  again  his 
feelings  reverted  to  the  fair  creature  who  was  thus  pouring  out 
her  spirit,  in  fervent,  but  calm  petitions,  in  behalf  of  a  dying 
parent  ;  for  Mabel's  cheek  was  no  longer  pallid,  but  was 
flushed  with  a  holy  enthusiasm,  while  her  blue  eyes  were 
upturned  in  the  light,  in  a  way  to  resemble  a  picture  by 
Guido.  At  these  moments  all  the  honest  and  manly  attach- 
ment  of  Pathfinder  glowed  in  his  ingenuous  features,  and 
his  gaze  at  our  heroine  was  such  as  the  fondest  parent  might 
fasten  on  the  child  of  his  love. 

Sergeant  Dunham  laid  his  hand  feebly  on  the  head  of 
Mabel  as  she  ceased  praying,  and  buried  her  face  in  his 
blanket. 

' '  Bless  you,  my  beloved  child,  bless  you, ' '  he  rather 
whispered  than  uttered  aloud ;  ' '  this  is  truly  consolation ; 
would  that  I  too  could  pray  !  " 

"Father,  you  know  the  Lord's  prayer;  you  taught  it  to 
me  yourself,  while  I  was  yet  an  infant." 

The  sergeant's  face  gleamed  with  a  smile ;  for  he  did 
remember  to  have  discharged  that  portion,  at  least,  of  the 
paternal  duty  ;  and  the  consciousness  of  it  gave  him  incon- 


474  'Ebe  patbffnfcer 


ceivable  gratification  at  that  solemn  moment.  He  was  then 
silent  for  several  minutes,  and  all  present  believed  that  he 
was  communing  with  God. 

' '  Mabel,  my  child, "  he  at  length  uttered,  in  a  voice  that 
seemed  to  be  reviving,  "Mabel,  I'm  quitting  you" — the 
spirit,  at  its  great  and  final  passage,  appears  ever  to  consider 
the  body  as  nothing — "I  'm  quitting  you,  my  child  ;  where 
is  your  hand  ?  ' ' 

"  Here,  dearest  father — here  are  both  ;  O  !  take  both." 

"  Pathfinder,"  added  the  sergeant,  feeling  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  bed,  where  Jasper  still  knelt,  and  getting  one 
of  the  hands  of  the  young  man,  by  mistake,  ' '  take  it— I 
leave  you  as  her  father — as  you  and  she  may  please — bless 
you — bless  you  both — ' 

At  that  awful  instant  no  one  would  rudely  apprise  the 
sergeant  of  his  mistake  ;  and  he  died  a  minute  or  two  later, 
holding  Jasper's  and  Mabel's  hands  covered  by  both  his  own. 
Our  heroine  was  ignorant  of  the  fact,  until  an  exclamation 
of  Cap's  announced  the  death  of  her  father;  when,  raising 
her  face,  she  saw  the  eyes  of  Jasper  riveted  on  her  own,  and 
felt  the  warm  pressure  of  his  hand.  But  a  single  feeling 
was  predominant  at  that  instant  ;  and  Mabel  withdrew  to 
weep,  scarcely  conscious  of  what  had  occurred.  The  Path- 
finder took  the  arm  of  Eau-douce,  and  he  left  the  block. 

The  two  friends  walked  in  silence  past  the  fire,  along  the 
glade,  and  nearly  reached  the  opposite  shore  of  the  island, 
in  profound  silence.  Here  they  stopped,  and  Pathfinder 
spoke. 

"T  is  all  over,  Jasper,"  he  said ;  "  't  is  all  over.  Ah 's 
me !  Poor  Sergeant  Dunham  has  finished  his  march,  and 
that,  too,  by  the  hand  of  a  venomous  Mingo.  Well, 
we  never  know  what  is  to  happen,  and  his  luck  may 
be  your'n  or  mine,  to-morrow,  or  next  day  !  " 

1 1  And  Mabel  ?    What  is  to  become  of  Mabel,  Pathfinder  ?  ' ' 

"  You  heard  the  sergeant's  dying  words  ;  he  has  left  his 
child  in  my  care,  Jasper  ;  and  it  is  a  most  solemn  trust,  it  is  ; 
yes,  it  is  a  most  solemn  trust !  " 

"  It 's  a  trust,  Pathfinder,  of  which  any  man  would  be  glad 
to  relieve  you,"  returned  the  youth,  with  a  bitter  smile. 


TTfee  Jpatfoffnfcer  475 


"  I  've  often  thought  it  has  fallen  into  wrong  hands.  I  'm 
not  consaited,  Jasper — I  'm  not  consaited,  I  do  think  I  'm 
not ;  but  if  Mabel  Dunham  is  willing  to  overlook  all  my 
imperfections  and  ignorance  like,  I  should  be  wrong  to  gain- 
say it  on  account  of  any  sartainty  I  may  have  myself  about 
my  own  want  of  merit." 

"  No  one  will  blame  you,  Pathfinder,  for  marrying  Mabel 
Dunham,  any  more  than  they  will  blame  you  for  wearing  a 
precious  jewel  in  your  bosom,  that  a  friend  had  freely  given 
you." 

"  Do  you  think  they  '11  blame  Mabel,  lad?  I  've  had  my 
misgivings  about  that  too  ;  for  all  persons  may  not  be  as  dis- 
posed to  look  at  me  with  the  same  eyes  as  you  and  the  ser- 
geant's daughter."  Jasper  Eau-douce  started,  as  a  man 
flinches  at  sudden  bodily  pain  ;  but  he  otherwise  maintained 
his  self-command.  ' '  And  mankind  is  envious  and  ill- 
natured,  more  particularly  in  and  about  the  garrisons.  I 
sometimes  wish,  Jasper,  that  Mabel  could  have  taken  a  fancy 
to  you,  I  do ;  and  that  you  had  taken  a  fancy  to  her ;  for  it 
often  seems  to  me  that  one  like  you,  after  all,  might  make 
her  happier  than  I  ever  can." 

' '  We  will  not  talk  about  this,  Pathfinder, ' '  interrupted 
Jasper,  hoarsely  and  impatiently  ;  "  you  will  be  Mabel's  hus- 
band, and  it  is  not  right  to  speak  of  any  one  else  in  that 
character.  As  for  me,  I  shall  take  Master  Cap's  advice, 
and  try  and  make  a  man  of  myself,  by  seeing  what  is  to  be 
done  on  the  salt  water. ' ' 

"You,  Jasper  Western  !  you  quit  the  lakes,  the  forests, 
and  the  lines  ;  and  this,  too,  for  the  towns  and  wasty  ways 
of  the  settlements,  and  a  little  difference  in  the  taste  of  the 
water !  Have  n't  we  the  salt-licks,  if  salt  is  necessary  to 
you?  and  oughtn't  man  to  be  satisfied  with  what  contents 
the  other  creatur's  of  God?  I  counted  on  you,  Jasper — I 
counted  on  you,  I  did — and  thought,  now  that  Mabel  and  I 
intend  to  dwell  in  a  cabin  of  our  own,  that  some  day  you 
might  be  tempted  to  choose  a  companion  too,  and  come  and 
settle  in  our  neighborhood.  There  is  a  beautiful  spot  about 
fifty  miles  west  of  the  garrison,  that  I  had  chosen  in  my 
mind  for  my  own  place  of  abode ;  and  there  is  an  excellent 


476  TTbe  patbffttoer 


harbor  about  ten  leagues  this  side  of  it,  where  you  could  run 
in  and  out  with  the  cutter,  at  any  leisure  minute;  and  I'd 
even  fancied  you  and  your  wife  in  possession  of  the  one 
place,  and  Mabel  and  I  in  possession  of  t  'other.  We  should 
be  just  a  healthy  hunt  apart;  and  if  the  Lord  ever  intends 
any  of  his  creatures  to  be  happy  on  'arth,  none  could  be 
happier  than  we  four." 

"You  forget,  my  friend,"  answered  Jasper,  taking  the 
guide's  hand  and  forcing  a  friendly  smile,  "that  I  have  no 
fourth  person  to  love  and  cherish  ;  and  I  much  doubt  if  I 
ever  shall  love  any  other  as  I  love  you  and  Mabel. ' ' 

" Thank' ee,  boy — I  thank  you  with  all  my  heart;  but 
what  you  call  love  for  Mabel  is  only  friendship  like,  and 
a  very  different  thing  from  what  I  feel.  Now,  instead  of 
sleeping  as  sound  as  natur'  at  midnight,  as  I  used  to  could, 
I  dream  nightly  of  Mabel  Dunham.  The  young  does  sport 
before  me ;  and  when  I  raise  Killdeer  in  order  to  take  a 
little  venison,  the  animals  look  back,  and  it  seems  as  if  they 
all  had  Mabel's  sweet  countenance,  laughing  in  my  face, 
and  looking  as  if  they  said,  '  Shoot  me  if  you  dare  ! '  Then 
I  hear  her  soft  voice  calling  out  among  the  birds  as  they 
sing  ;  and  no  later  than  the  last  nap  I  took,  I  bethought  me 
in  fancy  of  going  over  the  Niagara,  holding  Mabel  in  my 
arms  rather  than  part  from  her.  The  bitterest  moments  I  've 
ever  known  were  them  in  which  the  devil  or  some  Mingo 
conjuror,  perhaps,  has  just  put  into  my  head  to  fancy  in 
dreams  that  Mabel  is  lost  to  me  by  some  unaccountable 
calamity — either  by  changefulness  or  by  violence." 

"  O  !  Pathfinder,  if  you  think  this  so  bitter  in  a  dream, 
what  must  it  be  to  one  who  feels  its  reality,  and  knows  it 
all  to  be  true — true — true !  So  true,  as  to  leave  no  hope ; 
to  leave  nothing  but  despair  !  " 

These  words  burst  from  Jasper  as  a  fluid  pours  from  the 
vessel  that  has  been  suddenly  broken.  They  were  uttered 
involuntarily,  almost  unconsciously,  but  with  a  truth  and 
feeling  that  carried  with  them  the  instant  conviction  of  their 
deep  sincerity.  Pathfinder  started,  gazed  at  his  friend  for 
quite  a  minute  like  one  bewildered  ;  and  then  it  was  that 
in  despite  of  all  his  simplicity  the  truth  gleamed  upon  him. 


Ube  patbfittoer  477 


All  know  how  corroborating  proofs  crowd  upon  the  mind 
as  soon  as  it  catches  a  direct  clue  to  any  hitherto  unsus- 
pected fact ;  how  rapidly  the  thoughts  flow,  and  premises 
tend  to  their  just  conclusions  under  such  circumstances. 
Our  hero  was  so  confiding  by  nature,  so  just,  and  so  much 
disposed  to  imagine  that  all  his  friends  wished  him  the  same 
happiness  as  he  wished  them,  that,  until  this  unfortunate 
moment,  a  suspicion  of  Jasper's  attachment  for  Mabel  had 
never  been  awakened  in  his  bosom.  He  was,  however,  now 
too  experienced  in  the  emotions  that  characterize  the  pas- 
sion ;  and  the  burst  of  feeling  in  his  companion  was  too 
violent  and  too  natural  to  leave  any  further  doubt  on  the 
subject.  The  feeling  that  first  followed  this  change  of 
opinion  was  one  of  deep  humility  and  exquisite  pain.  He 
bethought  him  of  Jasper's  youth,  his  higher  claims  to  per^ 
sonal  appearance,  and  all  the  general  probabilities  that  such 
a  suitor  would  be  more  agreeable  to  Mabel  than  he  could 
possibly  be  himself.  Then  the  noble  rectitude  of  mind  for 
which  the  man  was  so  distinguished  asserted  its  power  ;  it 
was  sustained  by  his  rebuked  manner  of  thinking  of  him- 
self, and  all  that  habitual  deference  for  the  rights  and  feel- 
ings of  others,  which  appeared  to  be  inbred  in  his  very 
nature.  Taking  the  arm  of  Jasper,  he  led  him  to  a  log, 
where  he  compelled  the  young  man  to  seat  himself,  by  a  sort 
of  irresistible  exercise  of  his  iron  muscles,  and  where  he 
placed  himself  at  his  side. 

The  instant  his  feelings  had  found  vent,  Kau-douce  was 
both  alarmed  at  and  ashamed  of  their  violence.  He  would 
have  given  all  he  possessed  on  earth  could  the  last  three 
minutes  be  recalled,  but  he  was  too  frank  by  disposition, 
and  too  much  accustomed  to  deal  ingenuously  by  his  friend, 
to  think  a  moment  of  attempting  further  concealment,  or  of 
any  evasion  of  the  explanation  that  he  knew  was  about  to 
be  demanded.  Even  while  he  trembled  in  anticipation  of 
what  was  about  to  follow,  he  never  contemplated  equivoca- 
tion. 

"Jasper,"  Pathfinder  commenced,  in  a  tone  so  solemn  as 
to  thrill  on  every  nerve  in  his  listener's  body,  "this  has  sur- 
prised me  !  You  have  kinder  feelings  towards  Mabel  than 


47s  tTbe  jpatbfinDer 


I  had  thought;  and  unless  my  own  mistaken  vanity  and 
consait  have  cruelly  deceived  me,  I  pity  you,  boy,  from  my 
soul,  I  do  !  Yes,  I  think  I  know  how  to  pity  any  one  who 
has  set  his  heart  on  a  creature  like  Mabel,  unless  he  sees  a 
prospect  of  her  regarding  him  as  he  regards  her.  This 
matter  must  be  cleared  up,  Bau-douce,  as  the  Delawares 
say,  until  there  shall  not  be  a  cloud  atween  us." 

"What  clearing  up  can  it  want,  Pathfinder?  I  love 
Mabel  Dunham,  and  Mabel  Dunham  does  not  love  me  ;  she 
prefers  you  for  a  husband  ;  and  the  wisest  thing  I  can  do,  is 
to  go  off  at  once  to  the  salt  water  and  try  to  forget  you 
both." 

"  Forget  me,  Jasper ! — that  would  be  a  punishment  I 
don't  desarve.  But  how  do  you  know  that  Mabel  prefars 
me  f  how  do  you  know  it,  lad  ?  to  me  it  seems  impossible, 
like!" 

"  Is  she  not  to  marry  you,  and  would  Mabel  marry  a  man 
she  does  not  love  ?  ' ' 

"She  has  been  hard  urged  by  the  sergeant,  she  has; 
and  a  dutiful  child  may  have  found  it  difficult  to  withstand 
the  wishes  of  a  dying  parent.  Have  you  ever  told  Mabel 
that  you  prefarred  her,  Jasper;  that  you  bore  her  these 
feelings  ? ' ' 

"  Never,  Pathfinder ;  I  would  not  do  you  that  wrong  !  " 

"  I  believe  you,  lad,  I  do  believe  you ;  and  I  think  you 
would  now  go  to  the  salt  water  and  let  the  scent  die  with 
you.  But  this  must  not  be.  Mabel  shall  hear  all,  and  she 
shall  have  her  own  way,  if  my  heart  breaks  in  the  trial, 
she  shall.  No  words  have  ever  passed  atween  you  then, 
Jasper?" 

"Nothing  of  account— nothing  direct.     Still,  I  will  own 

all  my  foolishness,  Pathfinder,  for  I  ought  to  own  it  to  a 

generous  friend  like  you,  and  there  will  be  an  end  of  it. 

You  know  how  young  people  understand  each  other,  or 

hmk  they  understand  each  other,  without  always  speaking 

it  in  plain  speech  ;  and  get  to  know  each  other's  thoughts, 

:  to  think  they  know  them,  by  means  of  a  hundred  little 

ways!  " 

"Not  I,  Jasper,  not  I,"  truly  answered  the  guide;  for, 


|p>atbffn&er  479 


sooth  to  say,  his  advances  had  never  been  met  with  any  of 
that  sweet  and  precious  encouragement  that  silently  marks 
the  course  of  sympathy  united  to  passion.  "  Not  I,  Jasper  , 
I  know  nothing  of  all  this.  Mabel  has  always  treated  me 
fairly,  and  said  what  she  had  to  say  in  speech  as  plain  as 
tongue  could  tell  it. ' ' 

"  You  have  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  her  say  that  she 
loved  you,  Pathfinder  ? ' ' 

"  Why  no,  Jasper,  not  just  that,  in  words.  She  has  told 
me  that  we  never  could — never  ought  to  be  married ;  that 
she  was  not  good  enough  for  me  ;  though  she  did  say  that 
she  honored  me,  and  respected  me.  But  then  the  sergeant 
said  it  was  always  so  with  the  youthful  and  timid, — that  her 
mother  did  so,  and  said  so,  afore  her  ;  and  that  I  ought  to  be 
satisfied  if  she  would  consent,  on  any  terms,  to  marry  me  : 
and,  therefore,  I  have  concluded  that  all  was  right,  I  have." 

In  spite  of  all  his  friendship  for  the  successful  wooer — in 
spite  of  all  his  honest,  sincere  wishes  for  his  happiness,  we 
should  be  unfaithful  chroniclers,  did  we  not  own  that  Jasper 
felt  his  heart  bound  with  an  uncontrollable  feeling  of  delight, 
at  this  admission.  It  was  not  that  he  saw  or  felt  any  hope 
connected  with  the  circumstance ;  but  it  was  grateful  to  the 
jealous  covetousness  of  unlimited  love,  thus  to  learn  that  no 
other  ears  had  heard  the  sweet  confessions  that  were  denied 
its  own. 

' '  Tell  me  more  of  this  manner  of  talking  without  the  use 
of  the  tongue,"  continued  Pathfinder,  whose  countenance 
was  getting  to  be  grave,  and  who  now  questioned  his  com- 
panion, like  one  that  seemed  to  anticipate  evil  in  the  reply. 
"I  can  and  have  conversed  with  Chingachgook,  and  with 
his  son  Uncas,  too,  in  that  mode,  afore  the  latter  fell  ;  but  I 
did  n't  know  that  young  girls  practysed  this  art ;  and,  least 
of  all,  Mabel  Dunham  !  " 

;< 'T  is  nothing,  Pathfinder.  I  mean  only  a  look,  or  a 
smile,  or  a  glance  of  the  eye,  or  the  trembling  of  an  arm,  or 
a  hand,  when  the  young  woman  has  had  occasion  to  touch 
me  ;  and  because  I  have  been  weak  enough  to  tremble  even 
at  Mabel's  breath,  or  her  brushing  me  with  her  clothes,  my 
vain  thoughts  have  misled  me.  I  never  spoke  plainly  to 


48o 


Mabel,  myself;  and  now  there  is  no  use  for  it,  since  there 
is  clearly  no  hope." 

"Jasper,"  returned  Pathfinder,  simply,  but  with  a  dignity 
that  precluded  further  remarks  at  the  moment,  "we  will 
talk  of  the  sergeant's  funeral,  and  of  our  own  departure  from 
this  island.  After  these  things  are  disposed  of,  it  will  be 
time  enough  to  say  more  of  the  sergeant's  daughter.  This 
matter  must  be  looked  into  ;  for  the  father  left  me  the  care 
of  his  child. ' ' 

Jasper  was  glad  enough  to  change  the  subject,  and  the 
friends  separated,  each  charged  with  the  duty  most  peculiar 
to  his  own  station  and  habits. 

That  afternoon  all  the  dead  were  interred — the  grave 
of  Sergeant  Dunham  being  dug  in  the  centre  of  the  glade, 
beneath  the  shade  of  a  huge  elm.  Mabel  wept  bitterly  at 
the  ceremony,  and  she  found  relief  in  thus  disburdening  her 
sorrow.  The  night  passed  tranquilly,  as  did  the  whole 
of  the  following  day,  Jasper  declaring  that  the  gale  was  too 
severe  to  venture  on  the  lake.  This  circumstance  detained 
Captain  Sanglier,  also ;  who  did  not  quit  the  island  until 
the  morning  of  the  third  day  after  the  death  of  Dunham, 
when  the  weather  had  moderated,  and  the  wind  had  become 
fair.  Then,  indeed,  he  departed,  after  taking  leave  of  the 
Pathfinder,  in  the  manner  of  one  who  believed  he  was  in 
company  of  a  distinguished  character  for  the  last  time.  The 
two  separated  like  those  who  respect  one  another,  while 
each  felt  that  the  other  was  an  enigma  to  himself. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

"  Playful  she  turned,  that  he  might  see 

The  passing  smile  her  cheek  put  on  ; 
But  when  she  marked  how  mournfully 
His  eyes  met  hers,  that  smile  was  gone." 

Lalla  Rookh. 

THK  occurrences  of  the  last  few  days  had  been  too 
exciting,  and  had  made  too  many  demands  on 
the  fortitude  of  our  heroine,  to  leave  her  in  the 
helplessness  of  grief.     She  mourned  for  her  father, 
and  she  occasionally  shuddered,  as  she  recalled  the  sudden 
death  of  Jennie,  and  all  the  horrible  scenes  she  had  witnessed  ; 
but,  on  the  whole,  she  had   aroused  herself,  and  was  no 
longer  in  the  deep  depression  that  usually  accompanies  grief. 
Perhaps  the  overwhelming,    almost  stupefying  sorrow  that 
crushed  poor  June,  and  left  her  for  nearly  twenty- four  hours 
in  a  state  of  stupor,  assisted  Mabel  in  conquering  her  own 
feelings,  for  she  had  felt  called  on  to  administer  consolation 
to  the  young  Indian  woman.     This  she  had  done,   in  the 
quiet,  soothing,  insinuating  way,  in  which  her  sex  usually 
exerts  its  influence  on  such  occasions. 

The  morning  of  the  third  day  was  set  for  that  on  which 
the  Scud  was  to  sail.  Jasper  had  made  all  his  preparations  ; 
the  different  effects  were  embarked,  and  Mabel  had  taken 
leave  of  June — a  painful  and  affectionate  parting.  In  a 
word,  all  was  ready,  and  every  soul  had  left  the  island  but  the 
Indian  woman,  Pathfinder,  Jasper,  and  our  heroine.  The 
former  had  gone  into  a  thicket  to  weep,  and  the  three  last 
were  approaching  the  spot  where  three  canoes  lay  ;  one  of 
which  was  the  property  of  June,  and  the  other  two  were  in 
waiting  to  carry  the  others  off  to  the  Scud.  Pathfinder  led 
481 


482  Ube  patbffnfcer 


the  way,  but,  when  he  drew  near  the  shore,  instead  of  tak- 
ing the  direction  to  the  boats,  he  motioned  to  his  compan- 
ions to  follow,  and  proceeded  to  a  fallen  tree  that  lay  on  the 
margin  of  the  glade,  and  out  of  view  of  those  in  the  cutter. 
Seating  himself  on  the  trunk,  he  signed  to  Mabel  to  take  her 
place  on  one  side  of  him,  and  to  Jasper  to  occupy  the  other. 

"  Sit  down  here,  Mabel;  sit  down  there,  Eau-douce,"  he 
commenced,  as  soon  as  he  had  taken  his  own  seat ;  "  I  've 
something  that  lies  heavy  on  my  mind,  and  now  is  the  time 
to  take  it  off,  if  it 's  ever  to  be  done.  Sit  down,  Mabel,  and 
let  me  lighten  my  heart,  if  not  my  conscience,  while  I've 
the  strength  to  do  it." 

The  pause  that  succeeded  lasted  two  or  three  minutes,  and 
both  the  young  people  wondered  what  was  to  come  next, — 
the  idea  that  Pathfinder  could  have  any  weight  on  his  con- 
science seeming  equally  improbable  to  each. 

"Mabel,"  our  hero  at  length  resumed,  "we  must  talk 
plainly  to  each  other  afore  we  join  your  uncle  in  the  cutter, 
where  the  Salt-water  has  slept  every  night  since  the  last 
rally  ;  for  he  says  it 's  the  only  place  in  which  a  man  can  be 
sure  of  keeping  the  hair  on  his  head,  he  does.  Ah  's  me  ! 
what  have  I  to  do  with  these  follies  and  sayings  now  ?  I  try 
to  be  pleasant,  and  to  feel  light-hearted,  but  the  power  of 
man  can't  make  water  run  up  stream.  Mabel,  you  know 
that  the  sergeant,  afore  he  left  us,  had  settled  it  atween  us 
two,  that  we  were  to  become  man  and  wife,  and  that  we 
were  to  live  together,  and  to  love  one  another  as  long  as  the 
Lord  was  pleased  to  keep  us  both  on  'arth  ,-  yes,  and  after- 
wards, too?" 

Mabel's  cheeks  had  regained  a  little  of  their  ancient 
bloom  in  the  fresh  air  of  the  morning  ;  but  at  this  unlooked- 
for  address  they  blanched  again,  nearly  to  the  pallid  hue 
which  grief  had  imprinted  there.  Still  she  looked  kindly, 
though  seriously,  at  Pathfinder,  and  even  endeavored  to 
force  a  smile. 

"Very  true,  my  excellent  friend,"  she  answered ;  "this 
was  my  poOr  father's  wish,  and  I  feel  certain  that  a  whole 

•  devoted  to  your  welfare  and  comforts  could  scarcely 
repay  you  for  all  you  have  done  for  us." 


ZTbe  ipatMnfcer  4*3 


"  I  fear  me,  Mabel,  that  man  and  wife  needs  to  be  bound 
together  by  a  stronger  tie  than  such  feelings,  I  do.  You 
have  done  nothing  for  me,  or  nothing  of  any  account,  and  yet 
my  very  heart  yearns  towards  you,  it  does  ;  and  therefore  it 
seems  likely  that  those  feelings  come  from  something  besides 
saving  scalps  and  guiding  through  woods." 

Mabel's  cheek  had  begun  to  glow  again  ;  and  though  she 
struggled  hard  to  smile,  her  voice  trembled  a  little  as  she 
answered. 

' '  Had  we  not  better  postpone  this  conversation,  Path- 
finder ? ' '  she  said  ;  ' '  we  are  not  alone  ;  and  nothing  is  so 
unpleasant  to  a  listener,  they  say,  as  family  matters  in 
which  he  feels  no  interest." 

"  It 's  because  we  are  not  alone,  Mabel,  or  rather  because 
Jasper  is  with  us,  that  I  wish  to  talk  of  this  matter.  The 
sergeant  believed  I  might  make  a  suitable  companion  for 
you  ;  and,  though  I  had  misgivings  about  it — yes,  I  had 
many  misgivings — he  finally  persuaded  me  into  the  idee, 
and  things  came  round  atween  us,  as  you  know.  But  when 
you  promised  your  father  to  marry  me,  Mabel,  and  gave  me 
your  hand  so  modestly,  but  so  prettily,  there  was  one  cir- 
cumstance, as  your  uncle  called  it,  that  you  did  n't  know; 
and  I  've  thought  it  right  to  tell  you  what  it  is,  before  mat- 
ters are  finally  settled.  I  've  often  taken  a  poor  deer  for  my 
dinner,  when  good  venison  was  not  to  be  found  ;  but  it's  as 
nat'ral  not  to  take  up  with  the  worst  when  the  best  may  be 
had." 

"You  speak  in  a  way,  Pathfinder,  that  is  difficult  to  be 
understood.  If  this  conversation  is  really  necessary,  I  trust 
you  will  be  more  plain." 

"  Well,  then,  Mabel,  I  'vebeen  thinking  it  was  quite  likely, 
when  you  gave  in  to  the  sergeant's  wishes,  that  you  did  not 
know  the  natur'  of  Jasper  Western' s  feelings  towards  you?  " 

"  Pathfinder  !  "  and  Mabel's  cheek  now  paled  to  the  livid 
hue  of  death  ;  then  it  flushed  to  the  tint  of  crimson ;  and  her 
whole  frame  shuddered.  Pathfinder,  however,  was  too 
intent  on  his  own  object  to  notice  this  agitation  ;  and  Eau- 
douce  had  hidden  his  face  in  his  hands  in  time  to  shut  out 
its  view. 


484  TCbe  patbfinfcer 

«  I  >Ve  been  talking  with  the  lad  ;  and,  on  comparing  his 
dreams-with  my  dreams,  his  feelings  with  my  feelings,  and 
hi  wishes  with  my  wishes,  I  fear  we  think  too  much  alike 
concerning  you,  for  both  of  us  to  be  very  happy . 

"Pathfinder!  you  forget-you  should  remember  that  we 
are  betrothed  !  "  said  Mabel  hastily,  and  in  a  voice  so  low, 
that  it  required  acute  attention  in  the  listeners  to  catch  the 
syllables.  Indeed,  the  last  word  was  not  quite  intelligible 
to  the  guide,  and  he  confessed  his  ignorance  by  the 
usual— 
"Anan?" 

"  You  forget  that  we  are  to  be  married  ;  and  such  allusior 
are  improper  as  well  as  painful." 

"Everything  is  proper  that  is  right,  Mabel ;  and  every- 
thing is  right  that  leads  to  justice  and  fair  dealing  ;  though 
it  is  painful  enough,  as  you  say— as  I  find  on  trial,  I  do. 
Now,  Mabel,  had  you  known  that  Eau-douce  thinks  of  you 
in  this  way,  maybe  you  never  would  have  consented  to  be 
married  to  one  as  old  and  as  uncomely  as  I  am." 

"Why  this  cruel  trial,  Pathfinder?  To  what  can  all  this 
lead?  Jasper  Western  thinks  no  such  thing  :  he  says  noth- 
ing—he feels  nothing." 

"  Mabel !  "  burst  from  out  of  the  young  man's  lips,  in  a 
way  to  betray  the  uncontrollable  nature  of  his  emotions, 
though  he  uttered  not  another  syllable. 

Mabel  buried  her  face  in  both  her  hands  ;  and  the  two  sat 
like  a  pair  of  guilty  beings,  suddenly  detected  in  the  com- 
mission of  some  crime  that  involved  the  happiness  of  a 
common  patron.  At  that  instant,  perhaps,  Jasper  himself 
was  inclined  to  deny  his  passion,  through  an  extreme  unwill- 
ingness to  grieve  his  friend  ;  while  Mabel,  on  whom  this  posi- 
tive announcement  of  a  fact,  that  she  had  rather  unconsciously 
hoped  than  believed,  came  so  unexpectedly,  felt  her  mind 
momentarily  bewildered  ;  and  she  scarce  knew  whether  to 
weep  or  to  rejoice.  Still  she  was  first  to  speak  ;  since  Eau- 
douce  could  utter  naught  that  would  be  disingenuous,  or  that 
would  pain  his  friend. 

' '  Pathfinder,"  she  said,  ' '  you  talk  wildly.     Why  mention 
this  at  all?" 


TTbe  Jpatbfinfcer  485 


"  Well,  Mabel,  if  I  talk  wildly,  I  am  half  wild  you  know  ; 
by  natur' ,  I  fear,  as  well  as  by  habit. "  As  he  said  this,  he 
endeavored  to  laugh  in  his  usual  noiseless  way,  but  the 
effect  produced  a  strange  and  discordant  sound;  and  it 
appeared  nearly  to  choke  him.  "  Yes,  I  must  be  wild  ;  I  '11 
not  attempt  to  deny  it. ' ' 

''Dearest  Pathfinder!  my  best,  almost  my  only  friend! 
you  cannot,  do  not  think  I  intended  to  say  that !  "  interrupted 
Mabel,  almost  breathless  in  her  haste  to  relieve  his  mortifi- 
cation. "  If  courage,  truth,  nobleness  of  soul  and  conduct, 
unyielding  principles,  and  a  hundred  other  excellent  quali- 
ties can  render  any  man  respectable,  esteemed,  or  beloved, 
your  claims  are  inferior  to  those  of  no  other  human  being. ' ' 

' '  What  tender  and  bewitching  voices  they  have,  Jasper  ! ' ' 
resumed  the  guide,  now  laughing  freely  and  naturally. 
' '  Yes,  natur'  seems  to  have  made  them  on  purpose  to  sing 
in  our  ears  when  the  music  of  the  woods  is  silent  !  But  we 
must  come  to  a  right  understanding,  we  must.  I  ask  you 
again,  Mabel,  if  you  had  known  that  Jasper  Western  loves 
you  as  well  as  I  do,  or  better  perhaps — though  that  is  scarce 
possible ;  that  in  his  dreams  he  sees  your  face  in  the  water 
of  the  lake ;  that  he  talks  to  you  and  of  you  in  his  sleep ; 
fancies  all  that  is  beautiful  like  Mabel  Dunham,  and  all  that 
is  good  and  virtuous ;  believes  he  never  knowed  happiness 
until  he  knowed  you  ;  could  kiss  the  ground  on  which  you 
have  trod,  and  forgets  all  the  joys  of  his  calling  to  think  of 
you,  and  of  the  delight  of  gazing  at  your  beauty,  and  in  listen- 
ing to  your  voice,  would  you  then  have  consented  to  marry 
me?  " 

Mabel  could  not  have  answered  this  question  if  she  would  ; 
but,  though  her  face  was  buried  in  her  hands,  the  tint  of  the 
rushing  blood  was  visible  between  the  openings,  and  the 
suffusion  seemed  to  impart  itself  to  her  very  fingers.  Still 
nature  asserted  her  power,  for  there  was  a  single  instant 
when  the  astonished,  almost  terrified  girl  stole  a  glance  at 
Jasper,  as  if  distrusting  Pathfinder's  history  of  his  feelings, 
read  the  truth  of  all  he  said  in  that  furtive  look,  and  instantly 
concealed  her  face  again,  as  if  she  would  hide  it  from  obser- 
vation forever. 


486  tlbe  ipatbfinfcer 


"Take  time  to  think,  Mabel,"  the  guide  continued,  "  for 
it  is  a  solemn  thing  to  accept  one  man  for  a  husband,  while 
the  thoughts  and  wishes  lead  to  another.  Jasper  and  I  have 
talked  this  matter  over,  freely  and  like  old  friends,  and 
though  I  always  knowed  that  we  viewed  most  things  pretty 
much  alike,  I  could  n't  have  thought  that  we  regarded  any 
particular  object  with  the  very  same  eyes,  as  it  might  be, 
until  we  opened  our  minds  to  each  other  about  you.  Now, 
Jasper  owns  that  the  very  first  time  that  he  beheld  you,  he 
thought  you  the  sweetest  and  winniugest  creatur'  he  had 
ever  met ;  that  your  voice  sounded  like  murmuring  water  in 
his  ears ;  that  he  fancied  his  sails  were  your  garments,  flut- 
tering in  the  wind ;  that  your  laugh  haunted  him  in  his 
sleep  ;  and  that,  ag'in  and  ag'in,  has  he  started  up  affrighted, 
because  he  has  fancied  some  one  wanted  to  force  you  out  of 
the  Scud,  where  he  imagined  you  had  taken  up  your  abode. 
Nay,  the  lad  has  even  acknowledged  that  he  often  weeps  at 
the  thought  that  you  are  likely  to  spend  your  days  with 
another  and  not  with  him." 

"Jasper!" 

"It's  solemn  truth,  Mabel,  and  it's  right  you  should 
know  it.  Now  stand  up,  and  choose  atween  us.  I  do 
believe  Eau-douce  loves  you  as  well  as  I  do  myself ;  he  has 
tried  to  persuade  me  that  he  loves  you  better,  but  that  I  will 
not  allow,  for  I  do  not  think  it  possible  ;  but  I  will  own  the 
the  boy  loves  you,  heart  and  soul,  and  he  has  a  good  right 
to  be  heard.  The  sergeant  left  me  your  protector,  and  not 
your  tyrant.  I  told  him  that  I  would  be  a  father  to  you,  as 
well  as  a  husband,  and  it  seems  to  me  no  feeling  father 
would  deny  his  child  this  small  privilege.  Stand  up,  Mabel, 
therefore,  and  speak  your  thoughts  as  freely  as  if  I  were  the 
sergeant  himself,  seeking  your  good,  and  nothing  else." 

Mabel  dropped  her  hands,  arose,  and  stood  face  to  face 
with  her  two  suitors,  though  the  flush  that  was  on  her 
cheek  was  feverish,  the  evidence  of  excitement  rather  than 
of  shame. 

(<"What   would    you    have,    Pathfinder?"     she    asked, 
desire?"  U0t  already  Promised  my  Poor  father  to  do  all  you 


Ube  patbfinfcer  487 


"  Then  I  desire  this.  Here  I  stand,  a  man  of  the  forest, 
and  of  little  Taming,  though  I  fear  with  an  ambition  beyond 
my  desarts,  and  I  '11  do  my  endivors  to  do  justice  to  both 
sides.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  allowed  that  so  far  as  feelings 
in  your  behalf  are  consarned  we  love  you  just  the  same. 
Jasper  thinks  his  feelings  must  be  the  strongest,  but  this  I 
cannot  say.  in  honesty,  for  it  does  n't  seem  to  me  that  it  can 
be  true ;  else  I  would  frankly  and  freely  confess  it,  I  would. 
So  in  this  particular,  Mabel,  we  are  here  before  you  on  equal 
tarms.  As  for  myself  being  the  oldest,  I  '11  first  say  what 
little  can  be  produced  in  my  favor,  as  well  as  agin  it.  As  a 
hunter,  I  do  think  there  is  no  man  near  the  lines  that  can 
outdo  me.  If  venison  or  bear's  meat,  or  even  birds  and  fish, 
should  ever  be  scarce  in  our  cabin,  it  would  be  more  likely 
to  be  owing  to  natur'  and  Providence,  than  to  any  fault  of 
mine.  In  short,  it  does  seem  to  me  that  the  woman  who 
depended  on  me,  would  never  be  likely  to  want  for  food. 
But  I  'in  fearful  ignorant !  It 's  true,  I  speak  several  ton- 
gues, such  as  they  be,  while  I  'm  very  far  from  being  expart 
at  my  own.  Then,  my  years  are  greater  than  your  own, 
Mabel ;  and  the  circumstance  that  I  was  so  long  the  ser- 
geant's comrade  can  be  no  great  merit  in  your  eyes.  I  wish, 
too,  I  was  more  comely,  I  do  ;  but  we  are  all  as  natur'  made 
us,  and  the  last  thing  that  a  man  ought  to  lament,  except 
on  very  special  occasions,  is  his  looks.  When  all  is  remem- 
bered, age,  looks,  Taming,  and  habits,  Mabel,  conscience 
tells  me  I  ought  to  confess  that  I  'm  altogether  unfit  for  you, 
if  not  downright  unworthy  ;  and  I  would  give  up  the  hope, 
this  minute,  I  would,  if  I  didn't  feel  something  pulling  at 
my  heart-strings  which  seems  hard  to  undo." 

' '  Pathfinder  !  noble,  generous  Pathfinder  ! ' '  cried  our 
heroine,  seizing  his  hand,  and  kissing  it  with  a  species  of 
holy  reverence,  "you  do  yourself  injustice  ;  you  forget  my 
poor  father  and  your  promise  ;  you  do  not  know  me!" 

' '  Now,  here 's  Jasper, ' '  continued  the  guide,  without  allow- 
ing the  girl's  caresses  to  win  him  from  his  purpose  ;  "  with 
him,  the  case  is  different.  In  the  way  of  providing,  as  in 
that  of  loving,  there  's  not  much  to  choose  atween  us,  for 
the  lad  is  frugal,  industrious,  aud  careful.  Then  he  is  quite 


patbfinfcer 


a  scholar—  knows  the  tongue  of  the  Frenchers—  reads  many 
books,  and  some,  I  know,  that  you  like  to  read  yourself— 
can  understand  you  at  all  times,  which,  perhaps,  is  more 
than  I  can  say  for  myself." 

"What  of  all  this?"  interrupted  Mabel,  impatiently; 
"  why  speak  of  it  now  —  why  speak  of  it  at  all  ?  " 

"Then  the  lad  has  a  manner  of  letting  his  thoughts  be 
known,  that  I  fear  I  can  never  equal.  If  there  's  anything 
on  'arth  that  would  make  my  tongue  bold  and  persuading, 
Mabel,  I  do  think  it  's  yourself;  and  yet  in  our  late  conver- 
sations Jasper  has  outdone  me,  even  on  this  point,  in  a  way 
to  make  me  ashamed  of  myself.  He  has  told  me  how  sim- 
ple you  were,  and  how  true-hearted  ;  and  kind-hearted  ;  and 
how  you  looked  down  upon  vanities,  for  though  you  might 
be  the  wife  of  more  than  one  officer,  as  he  thinks,  that  you 
cling  to  feeling,  and  would  rather  be  true  to  yourself,  and 
natur'  than  a  colonel's  lady.  He  fairly  made  my  blood 
warm,  he  did,  when  he  spoke  of  your  having  beauty  without 
seeming  ever  to  have  looked  upon  it,  and  the  manner  in 
which  you  moved  about  like  a  young  fa'  an,  so  nat'ral  and 
graceful  like,  without  knowing  it  ;  and  the  truth  and  justice 
of  your  idees,  and  the  warmth  and  generosity  of  your 
heart  —  " 

"Jasper!"  interrupted  Mabel,  giving  way  to  feelings 
that  had  gathered  an  ungovernable  force  by  being  so  long 
pent,  and  falling  into  the  young  man's  willing  arms,  weep- 
ing like  a  child,  and  almost  as  helpless.  '  '  Jasper  !—  Jasper  ! 
why  have  you  kept  this  from  me  ?  " 

The  answer  of  Eau-douce  was  not  very  intelligible,  nor 
was  the  murmured  dialogue  that  followed,  remarkable  for 
coherency.  But  the  language  of  affection  is  easily  under- 
stood. The  hour  that  succeeded  passed  like  a  very  few 
minutes  of  ordinary  life,  so  far  as  a  computation  of  time  was 
concerned;  and  when  Mabel  recollected  herself,  and  be- 
hought  her  of  the  existence  of  others,  her  uncle  was  pacing 
the  cutter's  deck  in  great  impatience,  and  wondering  why 
Jasper  should  be  losing  so  much  of  a  favorable  wind.  Her 
first  thought  was  of  him  who  was  so  likely  to  feel  the  recent 
betrayal  of  her  real  emotions. 


TOe  Jpatbfinfcer  489 


"O!  Jasper!"  she  exclaimed,  like  one  suddenly  self- 
convicted,  "the  Pathfinder  !  " 

Eau-douce  fairly  trembled,  not  with  unmanly  apprehen- 
sion, but  with  the  painful  conviction  of  the  pang  he  had 
given  his  friend  ;  and  he  looked  in  all  directions  in  the  ex- 
pectation of  seeing  his  person.  But  Pathfinder  had  with- 
drawn, with  a  tact  and  a  delicacy  that  might  have  done  credit 
to  the  sensibility  and  breeding  of  a  courtier.  For  several 
minutes  the  two  lovers  sat  silently  waiting  his  return,  uncer- 
tain what  properly  was  required  of  them,  under  circumstances 
so  marked  and  so  peculiar.  At  length  they  beheld  their 
friend  advancing  slowly  towards  them,  with  a  thoughtful 
and  even  a  pensive  air. 

' '  I  now  understand  what  you  meant,  Jasper,  by  speaking 
without  a  tongue,  and  hearing  without  an  ear,"  he  said, 
when  close  enough  to  the  tree  to  be  heard.  "Yes,  I  un- 
derstand it  now,  I  do,  and  a  very  pleasant  sort  of  discourse 
it  is,  when  one  can  hold  it  with  Mabel  Dunham.  Ah  's  me  ! 
I  told  the  sergeant  I  was  n't  fit  for  her  ;  that  I  was  too  old, 
too  ignorant,  and  too  wild,  like — but  he  would  have  it 
otherwise." 

Jasper  and  Mabel  sat,  resembling  Milton's  picture  of  our 
first  parents,  when  the  consciousness  of  sin  first  laid  its 
leaden  weight  on  their  souls.  Neither  spoke,  neither  even 
moved  ;  though  both  at  that  moment  fancied  they  could  part 
with  their  new-found  happiness,  in  order  to  restore  their 
friend  to  his  peace  of  mind.  Jasper  was  pale  as  death  ;  but, 
in  Mabel,  maiden  modesty  had  caused  the  blood  to  mantle 
on  her  cheeks,  until  their  bloom  was  heightened  to  a  rich- 
ness that  was  scarce  equalled  in  her  hours  of  light-hearted 
buoyancy  and  joy.  As  the  feeling,  which,  in  her  sex  always 
accompanies  the  security  of  love  returned,  threw  its  softness 
and  tenderness  over  her  countenance,  she  was  singularly 
beautiful.  Pathfinder  gazed  at  her  with  an  intentness 
he  did  not  endeavor  to  conceal,  and  then  he  fairly  laughed 
in  his  own  way,  and  with  a  sort  of  wild  exultation,  as 
men  that  are  untutored  are  wont  to  express  their  delight. 
This  momentary  indulgence,  however,  was  expiated  by  the 
pang  that  followed  the  sudden  consciousness  that  this  glo- 


49° 


patbfinfcer 


rious  young  creature  was  lost  to  him  forever.  It  required 
a  full  minute  for  this  simple-minded  being  to  recover  from 
the  shock  of  this  conviction ;  and  then  he  recovered  his 
dignity  of  manner,  speaking  with  gravity,  almost  with 
solemnity. 

"I  have  always  known,  Mabel  Dunham,  that  men  have 
their  gifts,"  he  said ;  "but  I  'd  forgotten  that  it  did  not  be- 
long to  mine,  to  please  the  young,  and  beautiful,  and  1'arned. 
I  hope  the  mistake  has  been  no  very  heavy  sin  ;  and  if  it 
was,  I  've  been  heavily  punished  for  it,  I  have.  Nay,  Mabel, 
I  know  what  you  'd  say,  but  it  's  unnecessary  ;  I  fee!  it  all, 
and  that  is  as  good  as  if  I  heard  it  all.  I  've  had  a  bitter 
hour,  Mabel — I  've  had  a  very  bitter  hour,  lad —  " 

"Hour!"  echoed  Mabel,  as  the  other  first  used  the 
word,  the  tell-tale  blood  which  had  begun  to  ebb  towards 
her  heart  rushing  again  tumultuously  to  her  very  temples. 
"  Surely  not  an  hour,  Pathfinder?  " 

"  Hour  !  "  exclaimed  Jasper  at  the  same  instant,  "no,  no, 
my  worthy  friend,  it  is  not  ten  minutes  since  you  left  us  !  " 

"Well,  it  may  be  so;  though  to  me  it  has  seemed  to  be 
a  day.  I  begin  to  think,  however,  that  the  happy  count 
times  by  minutes,  and  the  miserable  count  it  by  months. 
But  we  will  talk  no  more  of  this ;  it  is  all  over  now,  and 
many  words  about  it  will  make  you  no  happier,  while  they 
will  only  tell  me  what  I  've  lost ;  and  quite  likely  how  much 
I  desarved  to  lose  her.  No,  no,  Mabel,  't  is  useless  to  inter- 
rupt me  ;  I  admit  it  all,  and  your  gainsaying  it,  though  it 
be  so  well  meant,  cannot  change  my  mind.  Well,  Jasper, 
she  is  yours  ;  and  though  it  's  hard  to  think  it,  I  do  believe 
you  '11  make  her  happier  than  I  could,  for  your  gifts  are  bet- 
ter suited  to  do  so,  though  I  would  have  strived  hard  to  do 
as  much,  if  I  knew  myself,  I  would.  I  ought  to  have  known 
better  than  to  believe  the  sergeant ;  and  I  ought  to  have 
put  faith  in  what  Mabel  told  me  at  the  head  of  the  lake,  for 
reason  and  judgment  might  have  shown  me  its  truth  ;  but  it 
is  so  pleasant  to  think  what  we  wish,  and  mankind  so  easily 
over-persuade  us  when  we  over-persuade  ourselves.  But 
what 's  the  use  in  talking  of  it,  as  I  said  afore?  It  's  true, 
Mabel  seemed  to  be  consenting,  though  it  all  came  from  a 


ZTbe  ipatbfinfcer  49i 


wish  to  please  her  father,  and  from  being  skeary  about  the 
savages — ' ' 

"Pathfinder!" 

"  I  understand  you,  Mabel,  and  have  no  hard  feelings,  I 
have  n't.  I  sometimes  think  I  should  like  to  live  in  your 
neighborhood  that  I  might  look  at  your  happiness  ;  but  on 
the  whole  it  is  better  I  should  quit  the  55th  altogether,  and 
go  back  to  the  6oth,  which  is  my  natyve  rigiment,  as  it 
might  be.  It  would  have  been  better,  perhaps,  had  I  never 
left  it,  though  my  sarvices  were  much  wanted  in  this  quarter, 
and  I  'd  been  with  some  of  the  55th  years  agone — Sergeant 
Dunham,  for  instance,  when  he  was  in  another  corps.  Still, 
Jasper,  I  do  not  regret  that  I  've  known  you — " 

' '  And  me,  Pathfinder  ! ' '  impetuously  interrupted  Mabel, 
' '  do  you  regret  having  known  me  ? — could  I  think  so,  I 
should  never  be  at  peace  with  myself ! ' ' 

"You,  Mabel  !  "  returned  the  guide,  taking  the  hand  of 
our  heroine,  and  looking  up  into  her  countenance  with 
guileless  simplicity  but  earnest  affection — "how  could  I  be 
sorry  that  a  ray  of  the  sun  came  across  the  gloom  of  a 
cheerless  day  ?  that  light  has  broken  in  upon  darkness, 
though  it  remained  so  short  a  time  !  I  do  not  flatter  my- 
self with  being  able  to  march  quite  as  light-hearted  as  I 
once  used  to  could,  or  to  sleep  as  sound  for  some  time  to 
come;  but  I  shall  always  remember  how  near  I  was  to 
being  undesarvedly  happy,  I  shall.  So  far  from  blaming 
you,  Mabel,  I  only  blame  myself  for  being  so  vain  as  to 
think  it  possible  I  could  please  such  a  creatur'  ;  for,  sartainly 
you  told  me  how  it  was  when  we  talked  it  over  on  the 
mountain,  and  I  ought  to  have  believed  you  then  ;  for  I  do 
suppose  it's  nat'ral  that  young  women  should  know  their 
own  minds  better  than  their  fathers.  Ah  's  me  !  It 's  settled 
now,  and  nothing  remains  but  for  me  to  take  leave  of  you 
that  you  may  depart ;  I  feel  that  Master  Cap  must  be  impa- 
tient, and  there  is  danger  of  his  coming  on  shore  to  look 
for  us  all." 

"  To  take  leave  !  "  exclaimed  Mabel. 

"  Leave  !  "  echoed  Jasper ;  "you  do  not  mean  to  quit  us, 
my  friend?" 


492  ftbe  patbfinfcer 

"  'Tis  best,  Mabel— 'tis  altogether  best,  Eau-douce  ;  and 
it 's  wisest.  I  could  live  and  die  in  your  company  if  I  only 
followed  feeling ;  but  if  I  follow  reason,  I  shall  quit  you 
here.  You  will  go  back  to  Oswego,  and  become  man  and 
wife  as  soon  as  you  arrive ;  for  all  that  is  determined  with 
Master  Cap,  who  hankers  after  the  sea  again,  and  who 
knows  what  is  to  happen;  while  I  shall  return  to  the 
wilderness  and  my  Maker.  Come,  Mabel,"  continued  Path- 
finder, rising  and  drawing  nearer  to  our  heroine  with  grave 
decorum,  "kiss  me.  Jasper  will  not  grudge  me  one  kiss; 
then  we'll  part." 

"O  !  Pathfinder,"  exclaimed  Mabel,  falling  into  the  arms 
of  the  guide,  and  kissing  his  cheeks  again  and  again,  with 
a  freedom  and  warmth  she  had  been  far  from  manifesting 
while  held  to  the  bosom  of  Jasper,  ' '  God  bless  you,  dearest 
Pathfinder  !  You  will  come  to  us  hereafter.  We  shall  see 
you  again.  When  old,  you  will  come  to  our  dwelling  and 
let  me  be  a  daughter  to  you  ? ' ' 

"Yes — that's  it,"  returned  the  guide,  almost  gasping 
for  breath ;  "I'll  try  to  think  of  it  in  that  way.  You're 
more  befitting  to  be  my  daughter  than  to  be  my  wife,  you 
are.  Farewell,  Jasper.  Now  we  '11  go  to  the  canoe ;  it 's 
time  you  were  on  board." 

The  manner  in  which  Pathfinder  led  the  way  to  the  shore 
was  solemn  and  calm.  As  soon  as  he  reached  the  canoe, 
he  again  took  Mabel  by  the  hands,  held  her  at  the  length  of 
his  own  arms,  and  gazed  wistfully  into  her  face,  until  the 
unbidden  tears  rolled  out  of  the  fountains  of  feeling,  and 
trickled  down  his  rugged  cheeks  in  streams. 

"Bless  me,  Pathfinder,"  said  Mabel,  kneeling  reverently 
at  his  feet.  "  O  !  at  least  bless  me  before  we  part. ' ' 

That  untutored,  but  noble-minded  being,  did  as  she 
desired  ;  and,  aiding  her  to  enter  the  canoe,  seemed  to  tear 
himself  away  as  one  snaps  a  strong  and  obstinate  cord. 
Before  he  retired,  however,  he  took  Jasper  by  the  arm,  and 
led  him  a  little  aside,  when  he  spoke  as  follows  :— 

"  You  're  kind  of  heart,  and  gentle  by  natur' ,  Jasper  ;  but 
we  are  ^ both  rough  and  wild,  in  comparison  with  that  dear 
creatur' .  Be  careful  of  her,  and  never  show  the  roughness 


jpatbffnfcer  493 


of  man's  natur'  to  her  soft  disposition.  You  '11  get  to  under- 
stand her  in  time  ;  and  the  L,ord,  who  governs  the  lake  and 
the  forest  alike — who  looks  upon  virtue  with  a  smile,  and 
upon  vice  with  a  frown — keep  you  happy,  and  worthy  to 
be  so!" 

Pathfinder  made  a  sign  for  his  friend  to  depart ;  and  he 
stood  leaning  on  his  rifle  until  the  canoe  had  reached  the 
side  of  the  Scud.  Mabel  wept  as  if  her  heart  would  break  ; 
nor  did  her  eyes  once  turn  from  the  open  spot  in  the  glade, 
where  the  form  of  the  Pathfinder  was  to  be  seen,  until  the 
cutter  had  passed  a  point  that  completely  shut  out  the  island. 
When  last  in  view,  the  sinewy  frame  of  this  extraordinary 
man  was  as  motionless  as  if  it  were  a  statue  set  up  in  that 
solitary  place,  to  commemorate  the  scenes  of  which  it  had  so 
lately  been  the  witness. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

"  O !  let  me  only  breathe  the  air, 

The  blessed  air  that 's  breathed  by  thee ; 
And  whether  on  its  wings  it  bear 
Healing  or  death,  't  is  sweet  to  me  !  " 

MOORS. 

PATHFINDER  was  accustomed  to  solitude  ;  but,  when 
the  Scud  had  actually  disappeared,  he  was  almost 
overcome  with  a  sense  of  his  loneliness.  Never  be- 
fore had  he  been  conscious  of  his  isolated  condition 
in  the  world  ;  for  his  feelings  had  gradually  been  accustom- 
ing themselves  to  the  blandishments  and  wants  of  social  life  ; 
particularly  as  the  last  were  connected  with  the  domestic 
affections.  Now,  all  had  vanished,  as  it  might  be,  in  one 
moment ;  and  he  was  left  equally  without  companions,  and 
without  hope.  Even  Chingachgook  had  left  him,  though  it 
was  but  temporarily ;  still  his  presence  was  missed  at  the 
precise  instant  which  might  be  termed  the  most  critical  in 
our  hero's  life. 

Pathfinder  stood  leaning  on  his  rifle,  in  the  attitude  de- 
scribed in  the  last  chapter,  a  long  time  after  the  Scud  had 
disappeared.  The  rigidity  of  his  limbs  seemed  permanent ; 
and  none  but  a  man  accustomed  to  put  his  muscles  to  the 
severest  proof,  could  have  maintained  that  posture,  with  its 
marble-like  inflexibility,  for  so  great  a  length  of  time.  At 
length  he  moved  away  from  the  spot ;  the  motion  of  the 
body  being  preceded  by  a  sigh  that  seemed  to  heave  up  from 
the  very  depths  of  his  bosom. 

It  was  a  peculiarity  of  this  extraordinary  being,  that  his 
senses  and  his  limbs,  for  all  practical  purposes,  were  never 
at  fault,  let  the  mind  be  preoccupied  with  other  interests  as 

494 


Ube  patbffnfcer  495 


much  as  it  might.  On  the  present  occasion  neither  of  these 
great  auxiliaries  failed  him  ;  but,  though  his  thoughts  were 
exclusively  occupied  with  Mabel,  her  beauty,  her  preference 
of  Jasper,  her  tears,  and  her  departure,  he  moved  in  a  direct 
line  to  the  spot  where  June  still  remained,  which  was  the 
grave  of  her  husband.  The  conversation  that  followed 
passed  in  the  language  of  the  Tuscaroras,  which  Pathfinder 
spoke  fluently ;  but,  as  that  tongue  is  understood  only  by 
the  extremely  learned,  we  shall  translate  it  freely  into  the 
English  ;  preserving,  as  far  as  possible,  the  tone  of  thought 
of  each  interlocutor,  as  well  as  the  peculiarities  of  manner. 

June  had  suffered  her  hair  to  fall  about  her  face,  had 
taken  a  seat  on  a  stone  that  had  been  dug  from  the  excava- 
tion made  by  the  grave,  and  was  hanging  over  the  spot  that 
contained  the  body  of  Arrowhead,  unconscious  of  the  pres- 
ence of  any  other.  She  believed,  indeed,  that  all  had  left 
the  island  but  herself,  and  the  tread  of  the  guide's  mocca- 
sined  foot  was  too  noiseless,  rudely  to  undeceive  her. 

Pathfinder  stood  gazing  at  the  woman  for  several  minutes 
in  mute  attention.  The  contemplation  of  her  grief,  the 
recollection  of  her  irreparable  loss,  and  the  view  of  her  deso- 
lation, produced  a  healthful  influence  on  his  own  feelings  ; 
his  reason  telling  him  how  much  deeper  lay  the  sources  of 
grief  in  a  young  wife,  who  was  suddenly  and  violently  de- 
prived of  her  husband,  than  in  himself. 

' '  Dew-of-June, ' '  he  said,  solemnly,  but  with  an  earnest- 
ness that  denoted  the  strength  of  his  sympathy,  ' '  you  are 
not  alone  in  your  sorrow.  Turn,  and  let  your  eyes  look 
upon  a  friend." 

' '  June  has  no  longer  any  friend  ! ' '  the  woman  answered  ; 
"Arrowhead  has  gone  to  the  happy  hunting-grounds,  and 
there  is  no  one  left  to  care  for  June.  The  Tuscaroras  would 
chase  her  from  their  wigwams ;  the  Iroquois  are  hateful  in 
her  eyes,  and  she  could  not  listen  to  them.  No  ! — leave 
June  to  .starve  over  the  grave  of  her  husband." 

"  This  will  never  do — this  will  never  do.  'Tis  agin  rea- 
son and  right.  You  believe  in  the  Manitou,  June?  " 

"He  has  hid  his  face  from  June,  because  he  is  angry. 
He  has  left  her  alone  to  die." 


496  Ube  fcatbfinber 

"Listen  to  one  who  has  had  a  long  acquaintance  with  red 
natur',  though  he  has  a  white  birth  and  white  gifts.  When 
the  Manitou  of  a  pale-face  wishes  to  produce  good  in  a  pale- 
face heart,  He  strikes  it  with  grief,  for  it  is  in  our  sorrows, 
June,  that  we  look  with  the  truest  eyes  into  ourselves,  and 
with' the  farthest-sighted  eyes  too,  as  respects  right.  The 
Great  Spirit  wishes  you  well,  and  He  has  taken  away  the 
chief,  lest  you  should  be  led  astray  by  his  wily  tongue,  and 
get  to  be  a  Mingo  in  your  disposition,  as  you  were  already 
in  your  company." 

' '  Arrowhead  was  a  great  chief ! ' '  returned  the  woman, 
proudly. 

"He  had  his  merits,  he  had;  and  he  had  his  demerits, 
too.  But,  June,  you  're  not  desarted,  nor  will  you  be  soon. 
Let  your  grief  out— let  it  out,  according  to  natur',  and 
when  the  proper  time  comes,  I  shall  have  more  to  say  to 
you." 

Pathfinder  now  went  to  his  own  canoe,  and  he  left  the 
island.  In  the  course  of  the  day,  June  heard  the  crack  of 
his  rifle  once  or  twice  ;  and  as  the  sun  was  setting,  he  reap- 
peared, bringing  her  birds  ready  cooked,  and  of  a  delicacy 
and  flavor  that  might  have  tempted  the  appetite  of  an  epi- 
cure. This  species  of  intercourse  lasted  a  month,  June  ob- 
stinately refusing  to  abandon  the  grave  of  her  husband  all 
that  time,  though  she  still  accepted  the  friendly  offerings  of 
her  protector.  Occasionally  they  met  and  conversed,  Path- 
finder sounding  the  state  of  the  woman's  feelings ;  but  the 
interviews  were  short  and  far  from  frequent.  June  slept 
in  one  of  the  huts,  and  she  laid  down  her  head  in  security, 
for  she  was  conscious  of  the  protection  of  a  friend,  though 
Pathfinder  invariably  retired  at  night  to  an  adjacent  island, 
where  he  had  built  himself  a  hut. 

At  the  end  of  the  month,  however,  the  season  was  getting 
to  be  too  far  advanced  to  render  her  situation  pleasant  to 
June.  The  trees  had  lost  their  leaves,  and  the  nights  were 
becoming  cold  and  wintry.  It  was  time  to  depart. 

At  this  moment,  Chingachgook  reappeared.  He  had  a 
long  and  confidential  interview  on  the  island  with  his  friend. 
June  witnessed  their  movements,  and  she  saw  that  her 


Ube  jpatbfinfcer  497 


guardian  was  distressed.  Stealing  to  his  side,  she  endeav- 
ored to  soothe  his  sorrow  with  a  woman's  gentleness  and 
with  a  woman's  instinct. 

"Thank  you,  June — thank  you,"  he  said,  "'tis  well 
meant,  though  it 's  useless.  But  it  is  time  to  quit  this  place. 
To-morrow  we  shall  depart.  You  will  go  with  us,  for  now 
you  've  got  to  feel  reason." 

June  assented  in  the  meek  manner  of  an  Indian  woman, 
and  she  withdrew  to  pass  the  remainder  of  her  time  near 
the  grave  of  Arrowhead.  Regardless  of  the  hour  and  the 
season,  the  young  widow  did  not  pillow  her  head  during  the 
whole  of  that  autumnal  night.  She  sat  near  the  spot  that 
held  the  remains  of  her  husband,  and  prayed  in  the  manner 
of  her  people,  for  his  success  on  the  endless  path  on  which 
he  had  so  lately  gone,  and  for  their  reunion  in  the  land  of 
the  just.  Humble  and  degraded  as  she  would  have  seemed 
in  the  eyes  of  the  sophisticated  and  unreflecting,  the  image 
of  God  was  on  her  soul,  and  it  vindicated  its  divine  origin 
by  aspirations  and  feelings  that  would  have  surprised  those 
who,  feigning  more,  feel  less. 

In  the  morning  the  three  departed  ;  Pathfinder,  earnest 
and  intelligent  in  all  he  did,  the  Great  Serpent  silent  and 
imitative,  and  June  meek,  resigned,  but  sorrowful.  They 
went  in  two  canoes,  that  of  the  woman  being  abandoned. 
Chingachgook  lead  the  way,  and  Pathfinder  followed,  the 
course  being  up  stream.  Two  days  they  paddled  westward, 
and  as  many  nights  they  encamped  on  islands.  Fortunately 
the  weather  became  mild,  and  when  they  reached  the  lake 
it  was  found  smooth  and  glassy  as  a  pond.  It  was  the 
Indian  summer,  and  the  calm  and  almost  the  blandness  of 
June  slept  in  the  hazy  atmosphere. 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  they  passed  the  mouth 
of  the  Oswego,  where  the  fort  and  the  sleeping  ensign  in- 
vited them  in  vain  to  enter.  Without  casting  a  look  aside, 
Chingachgook  paddled  past  the  dark  waters  of  the  river, 
and  Pathfinder  still  followed  in  silent  industry.  The  ram- 
parts were  crowded  with  spectators  ;  but  Lundie,  who  knew 
the  persons  of  his  old  friends,  refused  to  allow  them  to  be 
even  hailed. 


49s  ttbe  patbfinfcer 


It  was  noon  when  Chingachgook  entered  a  little  bay 
where  the  Scud  lay  at  anchor  in  a  sort  of  roadstead.  A 
small  ancient  clearing  was  on  the  shore,  and  near  the  margin 
of  the  lake  was  a  log  dwelling,  recently  and  completely, 
though  rudely  fitted  up.  There  was  an  air  of  frontier 
comfort  and  of  frontier  abundance  around  the  place,  though 
it  was  necessarily  wild  and  solitary.  Jasper  stood  on  the 
shore ;  and  when  Pathfinder  landed,  he  was  the  first  to  take 
him  by  the  hand.  The  meeting  was  simple,  but  very  cor- 
dial. No  questions  were  asked,  it  being  apparent  that 
Chingachgook  had  made  the  necessary  explanations.  Path- 
finder never  squeezed  his  friend's  hand  more  cordially  than 
in  this  interview  ;  and  he  even  laughed  cordially  in  his  face 
as  he  told  him  how  happy  and  well  he  appeared. 

"Where  is  she,  Jasper — where  is  she?"  the  guide  at 
length  whispered  ;  for  at  first  he  had  seemed  to  be  afraid  to 
trust  himself  with  the  question. 

"She  is  waiting  for  us  in  the  house,  my  dear  friend,  where 
you  see  that  June  has  already  hastened  before  us." 

"June  may  use  a  lighter  step  to  meet  Mabel,  but  she 
cannot  carry  a  lighter  heart.  And  so,  lad,  you  found  the 
chaplain  at  the  garrison,  and  all  was  soon  settled?  " 

"We  were  married  within  a  week  after  we  left  you,  and 
Master  Cap  departed  next  day— you  have  forgotten  to  in- 
quire about  your  friend,  Salt-water— ' ' 

"Not  I— not  I.  The  Sarpent  has  told  me  all  that;  and 
then  I  love  to  hear  so  much  of  Mabel  and  her  happiness,  I 
do.  Did  the  child  smile,  or  did  she  weep  when  the  cere- 
mony was  over?" 

"  She  did  both,  my  friend  ;  but —  " 

"Yes,  that's  their  natur' ;  tearful  and  cheerful.  Ah's 
me !  they  are  very  pleasant  to  us  of  the  woods  ;  and  I  do 
believe  I  should  think  all  right,  whatever  Mabel  might  do. 
And  do  you  think,  Jasper,  that  she  thought  of  me  at  all,  on 
that  joyful  occasion?  " 

"I know  she  did,  Pathfinder ;  and  she  thinks  of  you  and 
talks  of  you  daily— almost  hourly.  None  love  you  as 
we  do!" 

"I   know  few  love    me    better    than    yourself,   Jasper. 


TTbe  ipatbfinfcer  499 


Chingachgook  is,  perhaps,  now  the  only  creatur'  of  whom 
I  can  say  that.  Well,  there 's  no  use  in  putting-it  off  any 
longer ;  it  must  be  done,  and  may  as  well  be  done  at  once  ; 
so,  Jasper,  lead  the  way,  and  I  '11  endivor  to  look  upon  her 
sweet  countenance  once  more." 

Jasper  did  lead  the  way,  and  they  were  soon  in  the  pres- 
ence of  Mabel.  The  latter  met  her  late  suitor  with  a 
bright  blush,  and  her  limbs  trembled  so,  she  could  hardly 
stand.  Still,  her  manner  was  affectionate  and  frank.  Dur- 
ing the  hour  of  Pathfinder's  visit,  for  it  lasted  no  longer, 
though  he  ate  in  the  dwelling  of  his  friends,  one  who  was 
expert  in  tracing  the  workings  of  the  human  mind  might 
have  seen  a  faithful  index  to  the  feelings  of  Mabel,  in  her 
manner  to  Pathfinder  and  her  husband.  With  the  latter 
she  still  had  a  little  of  the  reserve  that  usually  accompanies 
young  wedlock  ;  but  the  tones  of  her  voice  were  kinder  even 
than  common  ;  the  glance  of  her  eye  was  tender,  and  she 
seldom  looked  at  him  without  the  glow  that  tinged  her 
cheeks  betraying  the  existence  of  feelings  that  habit  and 
time  had  not  yet  soothed  into  absolute  tranquillity.  With 
Pathfinder,  all  was  earnest,  sincere — even  anxious ;  but 
the  tones  never  trembled,  the  eye  never  fell,  and  if  the 
cheek  flushed,  it  was  with  the  emotions  that  are  connected 
with  concern. 

At  length  the  moment  came  when  Pathfinder  must  go 
his  way.  Chingachgook  had  already  abandoned  the  canoes, 
and  was  posted  on  the  margin  of  the  woods,  where  a  path 
led  into  the  forest.  Here  he  calmly  waited  to  be  joined 
by  his  friend.  As  soon  as  the  latter  was  aware  of  this  fact, 
he  rose  in  a  solemn  manner,  and  took  his  leave. 

"I  've  sometimes  thought  that  my  own  fate  has  been  a 
little  hard,"  he  said  ;  "  but  that  of  this  woman,  Mabel,  has 
shamed  me  into  reason — ' ' 

"June  remains,  and  lives  with  me,"  eagerly  interrupted 
our  heroine. 

"So  I  comprehend  it.  If  anybody  can  bring  her  back 
from  her  grief,  and  make  her  wish  to  live,  you  can  do  it, 
Mabel,  though  I  've  misgivings  about  even  your  success. 
The  poor  creatur'  is  without  a  tribe  as  well  as  without  a 


5oo 

husband,  and  it 's  not  easy  to  reconcile  the  feelings  to  both 
losses.  Ah  's  me  !— what  have  I  to  do  with  other  people's 
miseries  and  marriages,  as  if  I  had  n't  affliction  enough  of 
my  own?  Don't  speak  to  me,  Mabel — don't  speak  to  me, 
jasper__let  me  go  my  way  in  peace,  and  like  a  man.  I  've 
seen  your  happiness,  and  that  is  a  great  deal,  and  I  shall  be 
able  to  bear  my  own  sorrow  all  the  better  for  it.  No — 
I  '11  never  kiss  you  ag'in,  Mabel,  I  '11  never  kiss  you  ag'in. 
Here's  my  hand,  Jasper — squeeze  it,  boy,  squeeze  it ;  no 
fear  of  its  giving  way,  for  it 's  the  hand  of  a  man ;  and 
now,  Mabel,  do  you  take  it, — nay,  you  must  not  do  this" 
— preventing  Mabel  from  kissing  it,  and  bathing  it  with  her 
tears — "you  must  not  do  this." 

"Pathfinder,"  asked  Mabel,  "when  shall  we  see  you 
again  ? ' ' 

"I  've  thought  of  that,  too ;  yes,  I  've  thought  of  that,  I 
have.  If  the  time  should  ever  come  when  I  can  look  upon 
you  altogether  as  a  sister,  Mabel,  or  a  child — it  might  be 
better  to  say  a  child,  since  you  're  young  enough  to  be  my 
daughter — depend  on  it,  I  '11  come  back  ;  for  it  would 
lighten  my  very  heart  to  witness  your  gladness.  But  if  I 
cannot — farewell — farewell — the  sergeant  was  wrong — yes, 
the  sergeant  was  wrong  ! ' ' 

This  was  the  last  the  Pathfinder  ever  uttered  to  the  ears 
of  Jasper  Western  and  Mabel  Dunham.  He  turned  away, 
as  if  the  words  choked  him;  and  was. quickly  at  the  side 
of  his  friend.  As  soon  as  the  latter  saw  him  approach,  he 
shouldered  his  own  burden,  and  glided  in  among  the  trees 
without  waiting  to  be  spoken  to.  Mabel,  her  husband,  and 
June,  all  watched  the  form  of  the  Pathfinder,  in  the  hope 
of  receiving  a  parting  gesture,  or  a  stolen  glance  of  the 
eye;  but  he  did  not  look  back.  Once  or  twice  they 
thought  they  saw  his  head  shake,  as  one  trembles  in  bitter- 
ness of  spirit ;  and  a  toss  of  the  hand  was  given,  as  if  he 
knew  that  he  was  watched ;  but  a  tread  whose  vigor  no 
sorrow  could  enfeeble,  soon  bore  him  out  of  view,  and  he 
was  lost  in  the  depths  of  the  forest. 

Neither  Jasper  nor  his  wife  ever  beheld  the  Pathfinder 
again.  They  remained  for  another  year  on  the  banks  of 


ZTbe  patbfinfcer  501 


Ontario  ;  and  then  the  pressing  solicitations  of  Cap  induced 
them  to  join  him  in  New  York,  where  Jasper  eventually 
became  a  successful  and  respected  merchant.  Thrice  Mabel 
received  valuable  presents  of  furs,  at  intervals  of  years; 
and  her  feelings  told  her  whence  they  came,  though  no 
name  accompanied  the  gift.  Later  in  life  still,  when  the 
mother  of  several  youths,  she  had  occasion  to  visit  the  in- 
terior, and  found  herself  on  the  banks  of  the  Mohawk,  ac- 
companied by  her  sons,  the  eldest  of  whom  was  capable  of 
being  her  protector.  On  that  occasion  she  observed  a  man 
in  a  singular  guise,  watching  her  in  the  distance,  with  an 
intentness  that  induced  her  to  inquire  into  his  pursuits  and 
character.  She  was  told  he  was  the  most  renowned  hunter 
of  that  portion  of  the  State — it  was  after  the  Revolution 
— a  being  of  great  purity  of  character,  and  of  as  marked 
peculiarities ;  and  that  he  was  known  in  that  region  of 
country  by  the  name  of  the  Leather-Stocking.  Further 
than  this  Mrs.  Western  could  not  ascertain ;  though  the 
distant  glimpse  and  singular  deportment  of  this  unknown 
hunter  gave  her  a  sleepless  night,  and  cast  a  shade  of  mel- 
ancholy over  her  still  lovely  face,  that  lasted  many  a  day. 

As  for  June,  the  double  loss  of  husband  and  tribe  pro- 
duced the  effect  that  Pathfinder  had  foreseen.  She  died  in 
the  cottage  of  Mabel,  on  the  shores  of  the  lake ;  and  Jasper 
conveyed  her  body  to  the  island,  where  he  interred  it  by  the 
side  of  that  of  Arrowhead. 

Lundie  lived  to  marry  his  ancient  love,  and  retired,  a 
war-worn  and  battered  veteran :  but  his  name  has  been 
rendered  illustrious  in  our  own  time,  by  the  deeds  of  a 
younger  brother,  who  succeeded  to  his  territorial  title, 
which,  however,  was  shortly  after  merged  in  one  earned  by 
his  valor  on  the  ocean. 

THE  END. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


N'O  PHONE 

ENEWALS 

QL    APR    7198 

FEB241988 

